Believe
by Pekorimomo
Summary: It's two years after the war. Athrun & Cagalli's had no contact. He loves her and is ready for commitment, but does she love him? Believe in the will of both Naturals and Coordinators alike, so REVIEW!
1. First the Push

It was a cloudy day and the sky was moody; it looked like it was going to rain soon. Under a particularly golden plum tree in front of a wedding gown store sat a limo. Normally, a limo was unseen in this little town in which the limo was in right now- some people had never even seen one before! - but inside the limo, sat the representitive and princess of Orb- Cagalli Yuula Athaa

Cagalli was nervous: today was going to be the day when she finally sees Athrun. She had always liked the blue haired coordinator with green eyes, but they haven't seen each other for almost two years! She wanted to see him so much, to talk to him, but on the other hand, she didn't want to seem too desperate; it just wasn't her personality and would no sooner suit her than having her jump off a building because she was bored. Thankfully, however, Athrun called and would like to meet up with her, so Cagalli took time from her busy schedule (cough, every government representative was busy!) to have lunch with him.

She looked out her window. The pavement was lined with snow that had long since frozen during the first weeks of winter. The light fresh snow that had fallen the day before lined the edge of the roof of a building. Beyond that she saw a wedding gown store with an exquisite white dress in the display. Cagalli blushed; how she would love to wear that dress…

Cagalli had always liked Athrun, ever since she got stranded with him on that island. During that time, the forces of Earth and Zaft were at the climax of their conflict, but even so, Athrun didn't kill her, even though she had shot him twice…

_I'm so stupid_…

They had spent the night in a cave and Athrun had shared his rations with her even though she was his enemy and a stranger.

_Just shows how nice he is…_

Much later, on the Archangel (episode 48), Athrun was worried about her going in the Strike Rouge and ended up kissing her. He vowed that he would protect her after she told him that she wouldn't let him die.

Cagalli was blushing madly now; she and Athrun had shared some good "blush-able" moments, so…what had happened over the past two years? They weren't in contact at all, unless you count that e-mail he sent requesting to meet her today. What about all those times after the war when assassins had tried to kill her, how come he wasn't at her rescue?

She frowned a little. It wasn't that she wanted someone to rescue her; she didn't need rescuing. It was just that she wanted Athrun to acknowledge the fact that she exists and mean something to him. She sighed. It would be nice to have _something_ romantic happen to her. All the work and trouble she's been getting was really getting to her nerves. They've even requested her to go to a formal dinner party on the weekend!

Cagalli frowned even more. She would have to bring a date there and …oh my god…wear a dress! (lol, wearing a dress seems to be more problems for her than getting a date….)

She despised getting dressed up. Why couldn't the rest of the world live with the fact that she like wearing cargo pants? Why couldn't they accept her, for who she was instead of the dress wearing, fancy hair style, perfumed, pretty high heels Cagalli?

Cagalli sighed again. The head of a country couldn't afford to be loose with their own appearance. If only—

"Hello Cagalli."

Cut off from her thought, Cagalli looked out the window and saw Athrun Zala staring back at her with a pair of serene, yet shy, eyes. She blushed and turned away to conceal it.

"Hi," was all she managed out as she got out of the limo. _Why am I blushing? It's just Athrun!_

After getting out, she stood there facing him. She stared at him, looking for any changes in him.

His hair was still the same length, but his jaw looked harder,_ had he'd been through hardships?_ Plus, he grew taller and stronger looking, which made him more mature. He was wearing a red shirt with a brown jacket over it. On top of all this, a white hand-knitted scarf was wrapped around his neck. Cagalli was sure though, despite all these changes, underneath all this, he was still the friendly, kinda stupid coordinator that was a bit on the quiet side she knew.

Suddenly, realizing that she was staring, she smiled and turned away looking down the street, hoping to conceal her grin.

"So Athrun, long time no see. Where do you wanna go?"

Why was she just staring at me? thought Athrun privately. Is she mad at me for being a minute late? And why is she asking me where to go? I haven't been her before! Stupid Dearka and Yzak…

"Err…Actually, I haven't been here before, so I dunno," said Athrun tentively. He didn't want to piss Cagalli off now, especially in front of a – he looked up at the store beside them for the first time – gown store? Damn!...if she gets pissed…she had a fiery temper…especially since he had come all this way from the Plant's just to see her…

After the war, Athrun had went back to the Plant's to take care of some business in the military, problems caused by his father's death because his rank was so high. That, alone, took him ten months to sort out…stupid complications…the military's slow system. Anyways, after, he went to his home before the war had started. He stayed there for a month, clearing the house and such, but then he started missing Cagalli more and more each day.

Athrun kept remembering the kiss they had shared while aboard the Archangel and wanted more. He wanted to tell her that he like her a lot – maybe even love her, but after matching the news and seeing a stressed Cagalli ("…Princess of Orb is dealing with several agencies and complaints of the war…") on his television screen, he decided that he shouldn't bother her with his feelings right now. After all, a nation's need of Cagalli was greater than his.

But still, Athrun often argued with himself, he wanted her so much! In attempt to escape from his confusion, he went to stay at Dearka's place. Dearka lived in an spacious apartment alone and had a sense of humour, the kind of sense of humour which Athrun hoped would help him forget about Cagalli.

Ever since arriving at Dearka's place, Dearka had always taken him to parties and dance clubs, the reason being to pick up girls. Dearka would always flirt scandalously with pretty girls, but for some reason, he never actually got serious with one – could it be that blue-eyed, carrot-headed Natural?

Flashback:

One day a month ago, Yzak came and visited them. All three of them were in the living room talking, though Athrun talked little – he was staring out the window reminiscently at the sunshine, which reminded him strangely of Cagalli. _...Probably the hair…_he muttered silently under his breath.

As he broke out of his dream-like daze, Athrun realized both Dearka and Yzak were staring at him.

"Uh…hey guys, what's with the staring?"

" 'Probably the hair' ?" said Yzak in that demanding tone of voice. "Athrun, we know there's something wrong with you! That's why Dearka asked me to come!"

"Dearka –" Athrun turned towards Dearka hoping for an explanation but found him with the same solemn look as Yzak.

"It's true. Over the past few months you seemed out of it. At first I thought you were just getting over the war, but it's been too long."

"Spill the beans Athrun," said Yzak as he narrowed his eyes onto Athrun's face. "What's wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me! What's the matter with you guys?" assured Athrun.

"Athrun! We know there's something wrong with you! Did those Naturals do something to you were aboard their ship?" yelled Yzak.

Athrun was about to argue back when Dearka held his hand up to silence them.

"Yzak, calm down," said Dearka with a huge grin. "I think I know what's going on. Get ready for this – our dear Athrun Zala is – lovesick!"

"Huh? Wait! You guys --" but Athrun's voice was drowned out by Yzak's laughter.

"HAHA!...Oh my god, is that what it is? The great Athrun who used to pilot mobile suits brought down by a girl? Hahaha…"

Ahturn was annoyed by this. Was it wrong to like someone?

"Haha…do you know who it is, Dearka?" asked Yzak as he wiped a tear away from his eyes.

"Hmm…let's think," said Dearka, rubbing his chin, pretending to think. "Oh! I know! Jeez, how many golden-haired, pretty smile, big breasted, sexy-looking Natural – "Dearka stood up now and raised his voice to be dramatic " – who is also the princess of Orb do we know?"

"Cagalli Yuula Atha," announced Yzak slowly wearing a smug expression.

Athrun was stunned. How did they figure out? Had he been _that_ obvious? But maybe he was...he'd been thinking of her everyday, wanting nothing more than to embrace her and tell her that he needed her. Everything he tried to do in order to forget Cagalli had failed; even when he ate a meal, he would always wonder what it'll be like to share a meal with her…when they were living together…

He shook out of his daze (yet again) and looked up into his friends' face; there was no fooling them anymore because it had looked like they had made up their mind to whole-heartedly believe that Athrun loved Cagalli.

Athrun sighed. "Alright fine, I like her, happy?"

"No you don't just like her Athrun," said Dearka while chuckling, "you lo---ve her. Be a man and say you l---ove her."

Athrun ignore this and looked at Yzak, expecting a taunt from him also, but instead, surprisingly, Yzak looked serious.

"Athrun, how could you fall in love with a Natural?" demanded Yzak, for he was still a little prejudiced against Naturals after serving in the war for so long. "They're stupid, ugly, and have fewer capabilities than we do!"

"Lay off him Yzak," said Dearka. "If he loves her he loves her. Besides, haven't you seen that Cagalli girl before? She's not bad looking for a Natural. In fact, Athrun, if you don't want her after what Yzak had just said, I'll take her. I'll taker to my room and –"

Dearka froze and trailed off after seeing the death glare Athrun shot him. Dearka raised both his hands up and said: "Hehheh…Just kidding man! I know she's yours!"

"But Athrun, if you love her so much, how come you're not with her? For that matter actually, how come I've never seen you phoning her or even mailing her?"

Yzak raised his eyebrows at Athrun too. "If you're in with her, you've got to contact her in so me way, I mean, she's not gonna take you seriously otherwise!"

"Man," joined in Dearka, "never thought _you'd_ lose a girl, I mean, Yzak's another story, but – "

"Shut up! Don't you think I know I need to contact her if I wanna see her again? Don't you think I want to talk to her? But she's the princess of Orb! She's way too busy with her duties to worry about my feelings! She's doesn't have time to deal with me! I don't matter to her!"

Athrun had shouted all this out and was regretting it a minute after, but all the self-control he had in the last few months his feelings had snapped. All that he had shouted was fueled by his longing and desire to be next to Cagalli, but the truth was, she was on another planet.

"Athrun, we –"

"I – I'm sorry," said Athrun as he turned away from his fellow coordinators. He was ashamed of himself; his comrades were just trying to help him.

"Ah, that's okay Athrun," said Dearka cheerfully as he swung one of his arms around Athrun's neck, attempting to give him a noogie. "But to be fair, I think you owe us a pop."

"No way am I buying you a pop," said Athrun, smiling.

"Well, anyways, Yzak, how 'bout we give Athrun a hand with his girl friend troubles? Cause you have to admit, he _really_ needs it."

"I agree," stated Yzak. Although he didn't like helping Athrun if he could help it, nothing gave him more pleasure than to feel superior to Athrun in something.

"I don't need help you guys!" said Athrun quickly; afraid of what Dearka had in mind would totally destroy his life. They never saw the last person Dearka tried to help ever again, so it was advised to never receive his help or ask his advice unless you have a death wish.

"Yes you do, you're hopeless, and you're not gonna get anywhere with Cagalli if you keep going the speed you're going now. By the time you guys finally sleep together, I'll be gay. Now….let's see…"

Dearka wondered around the living room and got a paper and pen with a smug expression. "The best way, I think, is to write a letter…yes, a _romantic_ letter."

"Wait just a –" yelled Athrun as he stood up and lunged forward for the paper and pen, but was stopped and grabbed on the arm by Yzak.

"Yzak, restrain Athrun while I write this 'kay?"

"No problem," said Yzak with a smirk. He was very happy as he sat on Athrun's back, holding his legs together. Watching Athrun struggle against his weight was doing him good; he could do this all day if it annoyed Athrun so much.

"—lemm---g---o! Don't---end---the letter! M---back—urts!"

"Okay, now to start..hm….Dearest Cagalli, I miss you a lot as the sun rises and sets everyday. I often wonder about your well being and hope that you're not working too hard. It is often said that one misses one when they're suddenly not around, and that is what happening with me. I miss your soft tender lips for they remind me of the beauty left in the world after the war. I hope you're well and healthy and that the war hasn't affected you too much; I'm still getting over it, but I'm sure seeing you would make things much easier for me. The pain I have to endure of killing so much people will be gone once I see your beauty and angelic figure. I have so much I want to say to you, and so please, let's meet, hopefully somewhere under the sunset of the horizon, as they remind me of your hair. Let's meet on……" and with this, Dearka trailed off, musing with himself.

"Yzak – et off me! – Argh! Dearka! – n't send – beg—you!"

"No…I think this is fine…now…to send it…"

"--noo!---I'll never forgiv —earka!" yelled Athrun's muffled voice, due to the fact that Yzak stuck his foot in his mouth.

"Dearka! Hurry up and send it! I can't hold him much longer!"

Dearka ran to the door and sped down the hall to the mail box on their floor. Athrun and Yzak then heard a "Bang" and the sound of Dearka running back.

"YES! I just sent it! Athrun my man, you're gonna thank me some day, just invite me to your wedding eh?"

At that moment, Athrun was glaring at Dearka, thinking about the best way for Dearka to die, but then, he slumped down on the couch and sighed.

"Great, now what am I going to do?" asked Athrun hopelessly. "My love life just got ruined by the great Dearka Elsmen. Joy…"

"Well, you _could_ go along with Dearka's letter and go meet her," stated Yzak as-a-matter-of-factly.

"How can I after that ridiculously stupid letter?" said Athrun through gritted teeth, glaring at Dearka again.

"Hey! That letter was awesome and romantic! Besides, I didn't really write it the way I read it, that was just to make fun of you. I wrote a sensible letter without any details of giving her any ideas that you like her. Anyways, you should just go see her, you want to!"

" 'Without any details of giving her any ideas that you like her' ? Dearka! I _kissed_ her on board their ship! Now she's gonna think I _don't_ like her!"

Both Dearka and Yzak's mouth hung open.

"You _kissed_ her? Already? While on _their_ ship?" said a bewildered Yzak.

"Way to go man," grinned Dearka.

"Thanks– wait!" Athrun spluttered quickly, shaking his head, "—that's not the point!"

"Ahh yes, then _what_ is the point?" mused Dearka. "That's like asking the meaning of life. Just go to her!"

"I have to agree with Dearka for once Athrun," said Yzak, nodding, though getting a little annoyed that his blue-haired friend couldn't see the way from point one to two – to just go see Cagalli with no hesitation, but thought to refrain his anger for once, after all, it was Athrun's love life. (holy, this is Yzak doing something nice!)

"But…"

"Just go to her, I'll even buy the ticket for you! Now, the date and place I wrote to where you'll be meeting her is…."

Everything was a blur after that, and somehow, Dearka had managed to convince him to come, though, it was after Yzak's conventional outburst that Athrun came. He sighed; they were really good friends.

Now though, Cagalli was in front of him and smiling at him, and had just asked him where they should go. _Damn that Dearka for picking a place he never been to before!_

"Hey Athrun!"

"Huh?" said Athrun, having been just snapped out of his thinking. "Oh yea…"

Cagalli frowned slightly. "You don't look like you want to be here…if you were made to come, go back now."

Athrun finally really woke up. How da hell did she know what he was thinking of? Was it one of those "powers" women was said to have over men? This was freaky. And it wasn't as if though he didn't want to be here with her, hell, he wanted to be here, and had wanted for a long time! He would not blow his chance to be Cagalli, especially their reunion after so long. He shook his head and said "Sorry Cagalli, I was just admiring the scenery. It's beautiful here."

Cagalli scoffed. "Yea, sure, whatever."

"Don't believe me?"

"Hard to. Well anyways, if you don't know where to go, then let's just go have lunch. I'm starving!"

"Err…actually, I already ate…." said Athrun, scratching his head.

"You asked to see me and you already ate? Stupid…"

"Well, about the letter, actually…I didn't…" but before he could finish, Cagalli grabbed his right hand and dragged him down the street.

"Come on, I passed a nice looking little place on my way here."

Athrun was surprised by her forwarded ness by grabbing his hand, but didn't protest. He secretly liked Cagalli bossing him around a bit.

"Here!" announced Cagalli, directing her free hand towards a little ramen place.

Athrun went --… "The princess of Orb likes eating at a little, poor looking restaurant? Man Cagalli, work on your image a bit will ya?"

"What's wrong with liking ramen? Besides, I don't like those food I usually get served; it feels weird eating them, but eating things like ramen makes me feel more natural."

"Fine, but I don't feel like eating."

"Whatever."

With that, they entered the little noodle place and sat down in a table by the window. Cagalli ordered something big, some kind of deluxe meal or something while Athrun stared out at the window, savoring every moment with Cagalli right now.

He was so close to her, and he could feel that. He wanted to just stare at her, but she would notice and probably take the message a wrong way. Besides, if he kept staring at her, he would eventually let his view wander to where her breasts are…Cagalli would beat the crap out of him if that ever happened. But what if she didn't beat the crap out of him? What if she actually _liked_ that he was staring at her?

Athrun shook his head and sighed. That could _never_ happen.

"Athrun, what's wrong?" asked Cagalli with a concerned look on her face, having just heard Athrun's sigh when she was slurping madly with her noodles.

"Huh? Oh, nothing much."

"You're so out of it! I know you're hungry! Why won't you eat? It's delicious! Wait, I know, here, have some of mine, this bowl's too much for me anyway."

Cagalli pushed her bowl to the middle of the table and handed him a pair of chopsticks.

"Cagalli, I'm really not hungry!" assured Athrun, as he pushed the bowl back in front of her.

"Right, and I sing as good as Lacus Clyne. Come on, just try it. You'll like –" but before Cagalli could finish her sentence, but Athrun suddenly stood up and pushed Cagalli down.

"Athrun what are you --"

"Get down! There's a gu –"

A shot fired and the bullet went through Athrun's shoulder, barely missing Cagalli's head. Everyone in the restaurant screamed.

"What happening!"

"Where's –"

"Everyone calm down!" yelled the chef, as he came bursting out of the kitchen, but his command had little effect. Customers all left their seat and ran out of the ramen place except for Athrun and Cagalli, who were both still crouching under their table.

"Athrun! Are you all right!" asked Cagalli worriedly.

"The shot scraped my shoulder at the top, but I'm okay. What about you? You didn't get hurt right?" replied Athrun through a pant, still in disbelief that Cagalli almost got murdered. "How come you didn't bring any bodyguards with you?"

"Nobody knows I'm here! It's been arranged that an impersonator will take my place today as Cagalli Yuula Atha."

"But then how –"

"That's not important right now. Look at your shoulder, you're bleeding! Here," said Cagalli as she took out a white handkerchief and dapped the wound with it gently.

"Thanks," said Athrun through a wince.

"Let me call for help," said Cagalli as she took out a cell phone and phoned her men.

"Hello? This is Cagalli Yuula Atha, representative of Orb. I request assistance –"

Everything to Athrun after that was a complete blur. Apparently the wound was worse than he thought. He passed out as he heard Cagalli calling his name.

Athrun woke up staring at the white ceiling. There were bits of crack and black spots on the tiles, but other than the ceiling, the room was very elegant and comfortable-looking.

He sat up but immediately fell down upon the bed, but the covers fell off him. He realized that he wasn't wearing anything on the top, but had bandages wrapped around his left shoulder. His head was unfocused and a little dizzy, but otherwise fine.

"Athrun!" called Cagalli as she came into the room with a tray complying of bandages, water, and tissues.

"Stupid, did you try sitting up? No wonder your covers fell off. Well, you've got to sit up now, I need to change your bandages," said Cagalli as she set the tray down on the bedside table.

"Where am I?" akset Athrun, sitting up slowly while staring at Cagalli's concerned face. She was worried about him, so that meant that she cared about him.

"You're at an Orb base, the nearest one to the place we were at. I had to get you here because you passed out, and if we went to the hospital, the matters would attract too much attention," she explained, while leaning forward to Athrun, about to remove his bandages.

"It's okay, I'll do it myself," said Athrun, brushing Cagalli's hands away.

"Come, let me do it, it's my fault you're hurt anyway. The assassins were aiming for me."

"Assassins?" said Athrun with a surprised look.

"Yeah, but we have no idea of their whereabouts or where they're sent from," said Cagalli as she removed the bandages slowly and carefully, as to not hurt Athrun anymore.

Athrun said nothing more as she removed the bandages. Her every touch from her smooth beautiful hands was making him shiver. After Cagalli removed the bandages, she got a damp cloth to clean the wound. Athrun winced a bit, but was secretly enjoying being this close and getting treated by Cagalli. Suddenly, he realized that he wasn't wearing much, which made him want blush.

Athrun thought about what it would be like to be closer to Cagalli, relationship wise. Would she love him as much as he loved her? He wasn't too sure yet, because after all, it_ has_ been two years. Before he knew it, Cagalli was done.

"There, all done. I didn't hurt you too much did I?" said Cagalli as she set down the roll of bandages.

"No," smiled Athrun warmly.

Cagalli felt like blushing, but she held it in and said "No problem." She wanted so much for them to kiss, just as they had done on the Archangel, but that…would make matters bad for them and cause problems….She recently heard that the advisors thought of her to marry Yuuna, some guy important, as a stepping stone for Orb. If she were to date someone…well, the media would go nuts, basically.

Cagalli simply smiled back too, right at the guy she would trade in the whole world to. She sometimes thought of resigning as a representative of Orb just so she could be a normal girl her age, and date normally without having to think about the consequences first.

Seeing Athrun's smile then just made her remember how much she was going without unlike the normal girls her age. Cagalli buried all those feelings deep within her heart and told herself to stop thinking about it.

Here's the first chapter, R&R!


	2. Forget It!

Heh, forgot disclaimer last time, sorryz,...

I do not in anyway own any characters form Gundam Seed nor Destiny...aww...

Athrun woke up on the bed, again. He groaned. Obviously, he had fallen asleep again. Damn, he thought, he was going to have to be more dependable and stronger if he was to be with Cagalli. He's a guy for god's sakes!

He looked at his wound and touched it gently; it didn't hurt as much anymore and he wasn't tired either.

_Cagalli…_

She had dressed the wound with caution to the most of her abilities; he smiled. She probably really cared about him.

_But…_

If so, then how come she didn't tell him. You'd think she would after seeing him all this time, and what about yesterday? It looked like she was about to kiss him after she changed his bandages, but she didn't.

Athrun's eyes widened.

_Did she even like him anymore?_

What if she didn't feel the same way as him anymore? What if every sign that pointed to that she cared for him turned out to be false? Perhaps he had just imagined them, and they were just acts of friendship?

_Friends…_

But, he argued with himself, she showed way too much signs of wanting to be more than friends than any normal person.

He shook his head. It wasn't good to do much thinking after sustaining a minor injury. Instead, he got up and dressed. He wondered where his shirt was, but found a clean t-shirt folded on a nearby chair. Athrun took it and tugged it over his head. He then slid his shoes on and exited through the door to find a bland hallway facing him.

God, where is Cagalli, he thought blankly. I don't know anyone here. I have no identification either…

As though his questions answered miraculously, Cagalli came walking down the hallway.

"Cagalli!" called Athrun.

"Athrun? You shouldn't be up! Go back to bed!" chided Cagalli as she started pushing Athrun back.

"Stop, I'm alright, the wound's almost healed. Besides, I'm a Coordinator, come on…"

"Fine," said Cagalli dismissively. "Don't come crying to me when you bleed to death, jeez."

"I won't," said Athrun happily, feeling light-hearted because Cagalli just worried about him.

"What are you so happy about?" asked Cagalli, seeing the look on Athrun's face.

"Nothing."

"You keep grinning these days without any reason, is there something you're happy about?"

"No, of course not, what makes you think that?"

Cagalli gave Athrun a "You're weird" look and turned the other way. She walked away from Athrun, leaving with a surprised look. He decided to follow her, unsure of what the silence meant. Little did he know, Cagalli was hiding a smile on her lips as she turned around to walk away from him.

Athrun caught up to Cagalli and asked where they were going.

"I'm reporting you, not anything bad of course, but to tell the officials that you're here, you know? Cause technically, you're not supposed to be here. Also, I think some people want to thank you for saving me."

"Okay…" Athrun wisely said nothing more. He could tell that Cagalli wasn't in the talking mood right now. On the other hand, he was having a birthday party inside him; if he managed to get on the Orb officials' good side, _that could mean no trouble when he and Cagalli…_

They continued walking in silence for what seemed like and hour until they reached a metallic-looking door in an empty hallway. Cagalli leaned forwards to the lock and entered the combination. The door slid open instantly to reveal a briefing room with Colonel Kisaka and his assistant in there, along with several important looking men and women

"Hello Cagalli," said Kisaka quietly. "Is he the one?"

"Yes, he's the one that saved me in the restaurant," replied Cagalli.

"None of this happened would have happened if not for your foolishness Cagalli. You knew that you weren't supposed to leave parameters without proper protection," said a fierce-looking woman severely. Athrun thought privately that this woman reminded him a lot of Yzak's mother, Councilwomen Joule.

"Yes, that's right; I hope you realize this Cagalli. You still have to serve your nation," said another man. "Your father wouldn't have wanted you to live foolishly."

"I realize that, and I know that I am at fault," said Cagalli slowly, looking straight at them, never once wavering her stare.

"Let us forget about this matter. Now Cagalli, who is this young man?"

Athrun suddenly realized that the man was addressing him and blinked stupidly.

"This is Athrun," said Cagalli as she gestured her right hand towards Athrun.

Athrun was nervous. Everyone in the room had their attention on him. He could feel the stares of every one of them on him and didn't like it.

"Kindly state your full name, your position, and what you were doing with Cagalli," said the woman who reminded him of Yzak's mother.

"My position?" Athrun blurted out, surprised such information would be needed.

"Yes. Cagalli informed the colonel that you served in the last war?"

Athrun shot a look at Cagalli for a second but replied quickly.

"Athrun Zala. Pilot of the mobile suit Justice for the Zaft army, but later for the Archangel class alongside the Freedom. I was with Cagalli yesterday visiting her. We became good friends during the war," stated Athrun.

"And you guys decided to go to lunch?"

"Yes," replied Athrun as polite as he could; for it wasn't good to piss off important people.

"Wait," said a man suddenly. "You piloted the gundam Justice during the last war?"

"Yes, that is correct."

As soon as Athrun said this, many of them started murmuring discussions with each other. Cagalli gave him a nervous a look, as if he probably shouldn't have informed them that he took on such a heavy role in the war.

"But, I heard the pilot of the Justice piloted one of the ones that destroyed Heliopolis!" cried a man suddenly.

"Yes, that's what I heard too. The Aegis wasn't it called?"

"Well, Mr. Zala, did you pilot the Aegis also?" asked the stern woman again.

"…yes," replied Athrun, looking down. He was ashamed of that past memory and he'd rather not talk about it. He had destroyed so much and killed so many lives that were innocent, and now, these people that obviously weren't going to like him were bringing up the subject again.

"And killed those of Heliopolis?" asked the stern woman again, eyeing him with an intense look.

_Why is she the only one questioning me now?_

Athrun was feeling one of his worst now. He said a small "yes" again, but firmer this time; he didn't want to think that he was weak or scared. It didn't help that situation that every one in the room was still staring at him. They didn't welcome him and haven't even asked him to sit down, or even offer him a drink for that matter. Didn't he know that this creepy place made a guy his age feel nervous? Out of place? Perhaps they don't consider him an equal because he was a Coordinator?

In truth though, he was a little afraid. He didn't like admitting this fact, I mean, what guy in their right mind would? But he didn't like these people that worked with Cagalli, especially that stern brown headed woman who kept bombarding him with questions. She kept treating him like an enemy even though the war was over. Besides, isn't she an Orb representative? She supposed to uphold the ideals of Orb and _not_ take sides…

"Ma'me, with all due respect, Athrun is not of the enemy! He reconsidered what he was doing for Zaft in the middle of the war and joined forces with the Archangel and the Clyne Faction, proving that he had wanted the war to end peacefully for the two opposing sides," argued Cagalli.

Athrun looked up at Cagalli to see her face with a fierce look, the kind that was seen only on the battlefield. His heart warmed up at the thought that Cagalli was defending him in front of her own people; it felt good.

"Has he been involved with any recent Zaft activity since?"

"No! And can we stop treating him like an enemy? He's my friend!"

"But Cagalli," said another man with reddish hair, "Be reasonable, this is only for you're safety."

"Everyone was worried about you yesterday! I don't see Lord Uzumi being too pleased if his daughter got killed just because she was out with a friend!" shouted another man.

"But I'm not dead!" said Cagalli now. She was almost shouting actually, which, for some reason, turned Athrun on even more.

"Look, Athrun's had _plenty_ of chances to kill me. Even during the war, when I tried shooting him on sight, he didn't kill me when he had me down, but spared my life and shared food with me instead!"

Athrun blushed slightly. Cagalli was referring to the time on the island. They were both stranded and she _did _shoot him on sight, his shoulder first and later his arm (man! someone give Athrun's shoulder a break!), but when he found out that she was a girl, he spared her life, and became "friends."

_It's not my fault she looks like a guy, even Kira thinks so…Thank god I didn't kill her though…Man…If I had killed the princess of Orb…_

Plus he got to see her out of her shirt and cargo pants…._man, was she hot…_

A thought suddenly struck Athrun. What if_ he had _killed Cagalli right there and then? What if he was feeling hatred towards the other side and killed Cagalli without ever talking to her? If he had killed her then, he wouldn't be where he was now, and he certainly wouldn't have this friendship…_or relationship_ with her…

He wouldn't have even known her, met her, gotten to know her, and fell in love with her…

"— plus, he didn't kill me when the Orb military found him lying on a beach! He could've killed me then too, but he didn't even try, right Kisaka?" asked Cagalli, staring at the colonel expecting an answer she wanted, because he was there at the time too.

"In no way did Mr. Zala try to harm Cagalli," replied Kisaka right away.

"May I speak?" requested Athrun suddenly, tired of everyone speaking for him.

"Certainly," said the stern woman, folding her hands and supporting her chin with them.

"I would never hurt Cagalli because she's one of my closest friends. I value her friendship and would never do anything to destroy or falter it," said Athrun with the most serious voice he could muster with everyone staring at him. However, at that moment, he kept his eyes away from Cagalli. This was not the time for her to see him blush.

However, Cagalli was blushing herself a little too. Athrun's powerful words meant a lot to her, especially the "one of my closest friends" part.

"If your suspicion about me still wavers, I hope that our friendship is proof enough for you." Athrun kept the proof part at "friendship" and not "relationship" because he didn't think that springing the fact that he was practically her boyfriend now was a good idea.

The stern woman that kept questioning Athrun spoke.

"Well, it seems that you are one of Cagalli's true friends. We must apologize for suspecting you, but you must realize that there are many who would want to hurt Cagalli out there."

"Yes," said Athrun firmly.

The woman smiled now. "Please excuse the council of Orb, Mr. Zala."

Athrun was surprised, for he had thought that woman was the strictest of the council, but now, she was the first to acknowledge their acceptance of him. This reminded her more of Yzak's mother…

The rest of the council all clapped in approval. Suddenly, the room didn't seem so bad to Athrun, who was smiling widely. In what seemed like an instant, the whole room accepted him as if he was from Orb. He made a mental note to never do anything to lose their trust.

Cagalli walked up to him and grabbed his hand to lead him out of the room through the same doors they came through. She kept tugging at his hand until they were in a whole other room far away, probably in another sector of the base, but never once looking at him.

"Athrun! You did great!" said Cagalli, turning around to face him, showing a hint of pride through her expression.

"I – did?" stuttered Athrun. "—but I thought they hated me."

"They never hated you; they just didn't trust you at first. Eventually you managed to convince them though. Thank goodness though; I thought they were never going to get off your back."

Cagalli walked to the only table in the room and sat down in a nearby chair. She plopped her hands and head on the desk immediately.

"Cagalli?" asked Athrun, worried that something was wrong.

She yawned and looked up with dreary eyes. "Sorry Athrun, but I'm so tired…haven't slept much…"

Athrun realized that moment that Cagalli haven't slept since he arrived at the base, dealing with the council and tending to his wound. He felt guilty about sleeping all this time while she was working her ass off. She looked so exhausted there on the table, with barely recognizable bags under her eyes.

Being the nice guy he was, Athrun went over to her and placed his left arm under her arms, and his right hand under her where her knees bent. He lifted her up and carried her bridal style.

"Athrun!—What are you—" panicked Cagalli, in a distress at being picked up so quickly, and in this way too! She blushed and started to protest, but Athrun held her firmly in his arms.

"—stop it! Lemme off! I can walk myself!—"

"I'll carry you. You're tired, and don't try to hide it. Besides, I owe you for letting me stay here, and patching me up yesterday," replied Athrun softly, staring straight into Cagalli's blushing face. She's so cute when she blushes, completely unlike that tomboy character she has up all the time.

"I'm not tired…" said Cagalli with a little pout as she broke away from his look. Inside her, she was having a raging battle with herself.

_What are you doing Cagalli? You're in a guy's arms! Get off!_

_But you like him…is that so wrong? You do deserve a break after all you've done these past months…a lover's break…_

_WAT! Panic panic…This isn't like you at all!_

_Athrun's a good guy, and he's your brother's best friend! Kira would be so glad if you guys got together._

_The council accepts him too! Isn't that good enough?_

_He likes you…Wanna kiss him?_

_Get a grip Cagalli!_

_But…_

_Argh! Don't kiss him! It would drive him away; you know he's shy! Go with the subtle approach._

_What if he wants me to kiss him? Hm?_

_Oh I know! Maybe…_

_Oh my god, just wait till he sets you down in bed and take off your clothes, duh._

_What? You don't want him to think you sluttish!_

_Approach him directly! Confrontation; show him you're not afraid. Best idea you've had today. _

_But what to say?_

_"I love you."_

_Er…no…_

_"Thank you Athrun."_

_Is that direct enough? Give him a kiss, come on, it's not as if you haven't done it before!_

_Tell him to sit on your bed and corner him. Start undressing him and say "Athrun, I've always liked you…" and you know what to do next! Go Cagalli!_

_What da hell, no! That's not like you. Remember, he fell in love with the REAL you, your personality, not some slut with a big chest!_

_Does he even like me?_

_Yes of course, duh. He kissed you remember?_

_But…that was two years ago…maybe he likes someone else?_

_Then why did he come all this way from the Plant's to see you? Don't believe that "friends" thing he said. He wants you!_

_Hmm..got a point there…but what about his reaction to everything that happened. You've got to admit– he had way too much chance to kiss me…_

_Argh! Stop thinking about this!_

_Hm…If you date Athrun, you're going to have problems with Orb…What about Yuuna? I think he wants to marry you…_

_Hell with him! He's ugly, stupid, and doesn't care about me! He only cares about himself, and marrying me would raise his political career._

_Athrun cares about you more!_

_...he loves you Cagalli…_

"Cagalli?"

"Huh?" said Cagalli drowsily. She was snapped back to reality by Athrun's gentle voice and opened her eyes.

"Sorry to wake you, but I don't know where your room is," he said with embarrassment.

Cagalli looked around abruptly. Where were they? Somehow during her little walk in "Cagalli World" (the world of different Cagalli), Athrun had wandered into another sector. She had to hand it to him: he really knew how to mess things up.

"Oh great, we're in another sector…My room's so far away."

They were in a hallway where doors were the only thing interesting. Athrun went towards an open one and kicked it open, and inside was a bed just for one person with a bedside table and lamp.

"You're in luck Cagalli, I just found a bed," said Athrun brightly as he walked towards bed at a fast pace.

He set her down gently on the mattress and pulled the covers over her slowly, not wanting to disturb her before her slumber. She laid on the bed and moved around a little, adjusting herself to a comfortable position, on her side with her arms together in front of her. To Athrun, it was the cutest sight in the world. The usually-could-beat-up-his-ass Cagalli wasn't here right now; it was as if the ordinary Cagalli didn't existed. Right now, Cagalli was exposed and unprotected in front of him. Her skin was so tender-looking with a streak of happiness running through her cheeks.

Athrun studied her for a moment, then set himself down on a chair and closed his eyes; he should get some sleep too, in case Cagalli wanted to do something tomorrow; go crazy maybe? A sudden voice woke him out of his thought though.

"Athrun, aren't you tired?" muttered Cagalli as she sat up from her bed slowly, looking at Athrun with distinct eyes.

"I'll rest on the chair. You sleep princess."

"Don't call me princess, you know I hate that. Don't be stupid either, you know as well as I do that it's uncomfortable to sleep on a chair, so go find a bed in another room or something, just get on a bed," said Cagalli. She would've been frowning if not for her fatigue.

"But I don't' want to leave you alone. Remember that other day you got assassinated?"

"We're in an Orb base, who's going to attack me?"

"I'm still worried," said Athrun, unable to believe that he just said that, but now, seeing Cagalli's blush, gave him encouragement to move forward with no hesitation. He walked towards her bed and bent down so his mouth was right beside her right ear.

"Can I sleep in your bed tonight then, Princess?" he asked softly.

Cagalli could feel her whole body shivering. Her face was blushing like crazy now and her heart was pounding faster and faster. When did Athrun know how to make her feel this way? It was scary and exciting at the same time, and since when did the room get so hot? She gulped and replied.

"Don't call me that Athrun…"and she flopped back down onto the bed with no answer for him. Honestly though, she _had_ no answer for him; she didn't know what to say! Sharing a bed with Athrun…

"I'll take that as a yes," said Athrun as he moved onto her right on the bed, pulling the covers over them.

It was very comfortable and he could feel her body heat beside him; he could even feel and hear her breathing because he squish in with her due to the fact that the bed was too small. Nevertheless, Athrun was smiling and feeling like the luckiest man in the world. He was sleeping with the girl he liked!

_Not that kind of sleeping…_but still, he was thrilled. The position they were in was awkward though, so he turned around to face Cagalli's back. He knew that she wouldn't face him because she didn't want him to see that hint of red across her cheeks; she would never admit to him that she blushed. Still, this position she was in was causing him to "almost" fall off the bed…

"Cagalli," he whispered softly to her ear.

Cagalli's eyes shot open once again.

"What?" she asked.

"Can you turn around? The position you're in is causing me to fall off the bed," stated Athrun truthfully.

"Then fall off the bed, do I care?"

Athrun thought this quite funny of her to say. He _knew_ she cared if he fell off. In response to her retaliation, he grabbed around the waist and turned her around. It was almost effortless; she was as heavy to him as a feather-filled pillow.

"—Athrun?—" Cagalli cried out. She had not expected that, and now, she was facing him directly. Suddenly aware of how close they were, she blushed helplessly.

_Damn…he's going to see me blush…Stop blushing! Get a hold of yourself!_

No matter how much she tried, Cagalli just couldn't stop blushing. It was just inevitable when she was staring straight at Athrun's neck at such a close range.

Athrun saw her blush, meaning that she did like him. Hesitation all gone, he wrapped his arms around her and felt her ease into his embrace.

Cagalli could feel his arms around her, as if protecting her from all those in the world. She was panicking inside, but enjoying it all the same. She wanted to wriggle out of those strong arms, in case some officials found them hugging—in bed! But she stayed there just the same, feeling his breathing on her, one after another.

_…she likes you Athrun…_

Athrun grinned and fell asleep. Wait until he told Dearka and Yzak about this.

R&R thx


	3. Reunion

I don't own Gundamseed /nor destiny in anyway..aww…

Notes: Just to say, I will only be writin probably only 2 more Chaps…due to the fact that I'm running and hiding from people who are trying to find this story…man, they just won'd give up!

* * *

Here's aliitle thing I made based on my friend's idea:

One day on a movie set, they were currently filming ep8 of destiny, the scene was when Athrun gave Cagalli a ring….but for some reason, Athrun kept…

Athrun: (stares at Cagalli remorsefully as he is about to leave)Cagalli I …

Cagalli: What?

Athrun: Well, I WAS going to give you this ring (takes out the ring and looks at it in his s palm ) but since you walked out on me yesterday with that bastard Yuuna…well…

Athrun plops the ring into his mouth with a swallow.

Director: CUTCUT! ATHUN! What da hell are you doing man! We've been through this like 14 times! You'r supposed to give the dam ring to Cagalli! NOT EAT IT! ARGH! We'v been through like 14---nowait—15 now—rings!

Athrun: (looks confused) but…Kira told me it was jelly…(points at Kira ) It's all you'r fault!

Director: WHY da H ELL did you tell Athrun it was jelly!

Kira: Sir—I

Director: (frustrated) WHY! I am tryin to direct a MASTERPIECE here and here you are tryin to waste the budget and getting Athrun to eat rings! ARGH!

Director: emotional outburst What is wrong with you you moron! YOU IDIOT! You gay bastard!

Kira: (stutters)---Hey wait---I'm not gay!---(realizes something and looks hopefully) wait, are you?

Athrun, Yzak, Dearka, Miriallia, Tolle, and Lacus all looked at him with their mouths open in amazement.

Yzak and Tolle:Kira! Whoa, you'r gay!

Mirialia: tsktsk Kira, never thought you were…never thought you swung that way…

Tolle: Sai will be glad and happy to know!

Kira: (bak to stuttering) Wait!—you guys—I'm not—How can I –be-ggg—ay?

Lacus: Hm…well, it DOES explain why you never look down my top whn I was wearing that exposing white dress….and you were never really into the kissing thing when we were supposed to kiss…

Everyone looked at Lacus with sheer amazement; she was so unlike the character she was playing…

Lacus: wat?

Director: aww man, you'r one of the main characters and you'r gay? Hm…Mayb you can switch roles with Yzak…

Kira: (forcefully now) I'm NOT GAY!

Athrun: nowonder you kept looking at me weirdly when were together…even when we were at that Lunar Prep School thing…man Kira

Dearka: It's okay Kira, we understand, it's better than Yzak anyway---man, that guy sure likes his mom a lot!

Yzak: DEARKA!

Kira: Why won't anybody believe me that I'm NOT!

And for some reason, Mr.Pink, the pink Haro Lacus was holding suddenly exploded…

The End

* * *

Athrun woke up in the bed late that morning, and like every normal guy in the world, even if he was a Coordinator, he woke up tired and sleepy. He fumbled his arms around for that familiar warmth in which he shared a bed with yesterday, but to discover that she wasn't there.

He sat up straight quickly and looked around the room, with no Cagalli in sight; she had left the room earlier without telling him. Damn, just once would he want to wake up with her in his arms…

As if on cue, the door opened slightly, with Cagalli coming in on tip toes with a breakfast tray, trying not to wake the already woken Athrun. Realizing that Athrun was already awake and staring at her from the bed, she made no effort to be quiet anymore.

"Well, good morning, since you're obviously awake, I'll just set this tray on the table –" said Cagalli while she placed the breakfast tray laden with toast, orange juice, and oatmeal on the bedside table "—here."

"You didn't have to," said Athrun, grinning widely; this was an excellent way for him start the day—have Cagalli bring him breakfast.

Cagalli scoffed. "You were sleeping like a baby when I woke up! Besides, I don't you're going to be able to find the caf in this base. You're just like Kira – no sense of direction. Man, I can see why you guys are friends…"

He could tell from her expression that she thought the both of them idiots of the same sort, so he said nothing more than a trace of smile. Instead, he looked at the breakfast she had for him.

"Did you make this?"

"No way, I don't cook, so I got that from the cafeteria," replied Cagalli unhappily about the fact that she couldn't cook. How she had wanted to cook this morning for him, but when she burnt three toasts, the cook ordered out of the kitchen.

"So it's safe to eat? It's not made by you?" said Athrun, amused by the whole idea of Cagalli in a flowery apron and kitchen.

"What is that supposed to mean? You don't think I can cook?" demanded Cagalli.

"Nothing…" replied Athrun with a smirk and started to eat the meal on his bed.

She watched him intently as he bit the toast, a little miffed that he insulted her cooking skills. Cagalli made a private note to learn how to cook in the near future just so she could show him up.

Cagalli smiled thankfully though. It was nice to be able to relax once in a while, and spend time with friends; it's been so long since she was able to do that. Athrun coming here made it all possible. It felt just like the days during the war without the fighting. How she longed for the days when her obligations weren't needed and duties were of no importance next to fighting and defending for what you believed in.

These feelings were thriving only in the shadows of her heart though; she biggest reason she yearned for the days of war was so she could spend her free days with Athrun, with nothing to tie her down. There, she was unprotected, free from the watchful eyes and gaze of Orb officials and councilmen. There, she could make decisions of her own accord by herself.

For now, she was just tied down by what was inevitable for someone with her heritage and obligations.

But, that was alright, she thought through a sigh.

"Cagalli? Here, I'm done," said Athrun as he handed her the tray, looking into her eyes, wondering if she dazed off or something.

"Huh? You're done? K. Oh yeah, I was asked to bring you to Kisaka, it seems he wants to talk to you," said Cagalli, taking the silver tray from his hands.

"Why?" asked Athrun, afraid of another bombardment of questions like the meeting yesterday. He certainly didn't want another encounter like that.

"Dunno…they didn't tell me much about it either…Well, let's get going. We shouldn't keep them waiting."

Athrun reluctantly got out of the sweet and comfort of the bed and followed Cagalli through the many hallways. _Man, this place is big…takes forever just to get somewhere…_

This time, instead of a briefing room, they entered an office. Inside sat Colonel Kisaka in his desk, drinking to what seemed and smelled like a latte.

"Good morning Cagalli," welcomed the colonel. "You have read my request for wanting to talk to Athrun?" now he looked at Athrun with and nodded.

"Yeah, so here he is, I'll get going now," said Cagalli as she walked towards the door, but the colonel held up his hand to signal her to stop.

"This matter also concerns you too Cagalli, why don't you both have a seat?" said Kisaka, gesturing towards two chairs in front of his desk.

"Okay, now that we're all seated, let's get down to business. Athrun, because the council trusts you and you're a close friend of Cagalli's, they've requested you to accompany her as a bodyguard this weekend at a dinner party held by some Orb, with representatives of Earth and Zaft at hand, to work over some matters involving a treaty between the nations. Because of so many government related people at hand, the chance of assassins is probable, so the council hopes you will take the task and act as her bodyguard," stated Kisaka.

Instead of Athrun answering however, Cagalli burst out first.

"What? I told you Kisaka, I'm not going to that stupid party! Some members of the council are going to be there, so there's no need for me!"

"Cagalli, you've inherited the place of your father, you know this, and he was the leading representative of Orb. So what do you say Athrun?"

"I accept," said Athrun with a serious look on his face.

"You understand the risks involving this case right?"

"Yes," stated Athrun.

"Very well. Now Cagalli, the advisors say you need to wear a dress, like always okay? So don't –"

"I'm not going and I'm not wearing a dress!"

"—give the dressers too much trouble like last time," finished Kisaka firmly, closing his eyes, hoping Cagalli would understand.

"Er…what did you do last time?" asked Athrun carefully, not wanting to piss Cagalli off, but very interested in what sort of spaz attack she had last time.

"Cagalli, that's enough. You know that the great nation of Orb relies on you now to speak for them," reasoned Kisaka.

Cagalli moaned but said yes.

"That's good. Both of you are dismissed."

Athrun and Cagalli both walked out of the office into the hallway. He didn't know where to go next, so he followed Cagalli instead. As they walked silently, he saw the defeated look on her face. It must he hard to be such an important person to a nation, he thought. But then again, isn't he the former supreme council chairman of Zaft's son?

He tried to think of something to cheer her up, but what could he say? The usual "Cheer up, you're getting new clothes and gown!" thing didn't work with Cagalli...

_…how about taking her out to lunch?_

_Idiot, do you think they would let you take her out again? Jeez…_

"Cheer up Cagalli, I'll be there with you too, so you won't be that bored," said Athrun sincerely. "I'll keep you company."

Athrun waited for her response, and was glad that he didn't say anything like "Cheer up Cagalli, you'll be able to eat lot's of food there!" She would kick his ass for trying to get her fat…hm…what would she look like being fat…

After a few seconds of silence between them, she replied.

"Thanks," smiled Cagalli.

Athrun sat on his bed after a shower and reached for the phone, trying to remember the numbers to dial against his headache.

The last few days had been disastrous for him; he had gone shopping with Cagalli, or rather, he and a bunch of dressers dragged Cagalli to go shopping. He now marveled at the way most females had the ability to shop for hours on end with no rest; it was just impossible!

They had went to all the gown stores and expensively elegant clothing boutiques in that city, only to come up with ten gowns, fourteen pairs of shoes, and tons of jewelry for Cagalli to wear, some of which Athrun didn't even know what it was (_'What's this?'…"AH! Athrun! That's a corset!"…)_. Of course, she was frowning and complaining the whole time like a small child not getting what she wanted. Twice, Athrun even had to stop her from running off…

The effort to follow Cagalli around wasn't fruitless for him though; the dressers insisted on getting him a whole tuxedo ensemble after messing with Cagalli. During his time of suffering by the hands of what seemed to be crazy dressers, trying on ties, dress shirts, such and such, Cagalli wore a smug smirk on her face the whole time.

By the end of those few days, they were well prepared for the evening head of them, but first, Athrun wanted to call Dearka.

_I should keep him updated…he did buy my ticket here for me…_

Finally, the connection to the Plant's went through. However, the answering machine picked up.

"—Hey! This is Dearka, but I'm not here right now, so why don't you bother my friend Yzak Joule at 254-26671397 with your messages for me? He'll give them to me after I return. Be sure to bother him! He _loves_ his mom a lot! If you know what I mean. Bye –beep"

Athrun chuckled. You had to hand it to Dearka though; he sure wanted to piss Yzak off as much as anyone else would. He wondered where Dearka was though, probably off chasing some girl…

He then thought of calling Yzak, but after hearing the message Dearka left on his answering machine, he couldn't imagine Yzak being too happy when he called him to leave a message for Dearka. Yzak might explode…

He heard his stomach growl over his headache. He sure was hungry; might as well start changing for the party.

Athrun undressed and wore the black tuxedo they bought him. He pulled on a red plain tie and tied it loosely, not wanting to choke himself. He went over to a mirror and studied himself; he thought he looked pretty good. While scanning himself in the mirror for wrinkles on the jacket, he realized that his hair was a mess. Not having too much experience with the comb, Athrun carefully combed over his dark blue hair slowly.

There, he thought, I look sharp and a little distinguished. This should be okay. Privately though, he sure wished his mom had taught him more how to dress properly for a girl…one mistake could set them off…

Athrun went outside his room to the front gate of the base. There, a polished limo sat there waiting for him and Cagalli; the other council members would arrive of their own accord.

For a few moments he waited, staring at the moon overhead, wondering how his friends were doing on the Plant's. He would worry of his family if they were still there. The billions of stars overhead reminded him of the time he spent fighting in space; the days when he took the lives of many.

Just then, Cagalli came out and stared at Athrun's sad face with a hint of grief. She wondered what it was that made his usual smiling face show this, but didn't ask, in case she was intruding on something private.

"Athrun?" asked Cagalli apprehensively, scanning at what he was wearing. The tuxedo made him look so finished and well done.

"Hi Cagalli, let's go," said Athrun, the sad face gone completely, opening the car seat for her with a smile.

She went in and sat down with him beside her in the back. The driver then started to drive, through the street under the canopies of the trees above under the yellow, half-crescent moon.

They drove for a while, and to pass the time, they amused themselves with the inner contents of the limo (this is what I would've done if it was me…cmon'! it's a LIMO+.+).

"Hey! There's a T.V. Wonder if there's satellite?" said Athrun, reaching for the knob on the T.V.

"Wait, here's the remote," said Cagalli, handing him a remote, but then exclaimed, "Hey! I found the fridge!"

Athrun took the chance while Cagalli rummaged through the fridge to look at what she was wearing. He was amazed at what he saw.

Tonight, she was wearing a simple light blue strapless gown with only her figure and a zipper at the back to prevent it from falling. The bottom looked crocheted and was sew in a special way so the hem always looked like it was flowing. On her neck she wore a sliver necklace with a single smoke green pearl at the end. Her earrings were dangling from her ear gracefully, teasing the quiet night with their tinkling sound.

Her hair was done up in a knot at the top with pearls of the same sort encircling it. She also wore a clip with what seemed to be dried rice branches on the left side of her head. Athrun was perplexed by how she looked tonight. The stuff she was wearing brought out another look in her, something more of an elegant, rich people feeling.

_Holy shit she's hot tonight…_and for some reason, he couldn't stop focusing his eyes near her chest area…Athrun could feel himself blushing a little, so he turned away and pretended to look at the scenery outside.

"Athrun?" asked Cagalli when she saw his face practically peeled on the window. "What are you doing? Look at this! I found A&W root beer! Want some?"

Having no choice, Athrun turned around and found Cagalli to be very close to him; apparently while he was "gazing at the moon," Cagalli had shuffled closer to him to show him the root beer.

"Oh, root beer, eh, you know what? I'm not really thirsty hehheh…" replied Athrun sheepishly, averting his gaze with Cagalli's, trying his hardest not to blush.

_Athrun, cmon! You've survived the war, piloted gundams, and even had to go up against your best friend! Control yourself! Argh!_

Noticing Athrun's weird mixed expression on his face, she leant in towards him and placed her right hand onto his forehead.

"—Ca—galli?" stuttered Athrun. He hated himself for stuttering, but he couldn't help it; how come Cagalli had to suddenly make contact with him?

"Hm…you don't have a fever, but you look sick Athrun, is everything okay?" asked Cagalli with a concerned face, taking her hand off. "Jeez Athrun, if your sick, should've said something earlier."

"Yeah, I'm fin -- " Athrun was cut off from his reply as the vehicle suddenly skidded to a halt, causing contents in the car to fall, fly, or go lop-sided.

Being so close to Cagalli in the first place in such a confined space of the back seat, and both of them being stupid enough not to put on a seat in the first place, Athrun flew up from his seat and landed on top of Cagalli's small figure, face in the open area just between the top of her breasts.

"Cagalli! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" exclaimed Athrun, bolting upright, helping her up while with his hands, blushing frantically.

"Yeah," said Cagalli overwhelmed as she got up, trying not to believe that just happened. His face was practically on her chest…

"That's good," he said, relieved that she didn't slap him or beat him up. At the same time though, he couldn't help thinking...

_…god…they were soft…she's not wearing a bra!_

He shook his head quickly and saw Cagalli drinking root beer as if nothing had happened, her fingers wet from the icy coldness. Thank goodness, he thought quietly; he wouldn't have known what to do if the damage was done.

After a while, the car stopped and the driver announced that they've arrived. Athrun went out first and offered his arm to Cagalli by the door. Cagalli, blushing from this gesture, took his arm slowly and walked inside gracefully on his left.

By the main entrance, a doorman asked for their names.

"Cagalli Yula Athha, with my bodyguard, Alex Dino," said Cagalli politely. Of course, since he was her guard, he would have to go under a false name.

"Pleased to see you here, Miss. Athha," smiled the doorman.

They entered the hall to see a huge banquet room waiting for them, with deep, blood-red carpet and small tables lined with silverware. There was a staircase at the back of the room, which had ribbons tied in fancy ways on the banisters. Beside the staircase was a stage, with giant bouquets of flowers standing on either side. Inhabiting this exquisite room was none other than important rich people themselves.

Letting Cagalli lead him across the room because he didn't know obviously didn't know anybody here, it gave Athrun a chance to see who was here. She bowed and greeted and was bowed and greeted by so many important people, such as the president of Earth, and one of the chairman of Zaft, who didn't seem to recognize Athrun.

After all the greetings, Cagalli lead him to where they were supposed to be sitting. They sat down and Cagalli let out a huge sigh.

"What's wrong?" asked Athrun.

"Wearing these shoes is so tiring! Argh…"

Athrun looked down the table at her feet, and sure enough, they were red from sores. He simply wondered why girls wore such elaborate shoes in the first place, and not the comfortable shoes guys wore. Sure, the heels looked better, but shouldn't comfort come before beauty?

"Take them off then," he suggested blankly, as if it was the simplest thing in the world, and wondered if being the Natural Cagalli was made you stupider.

"Not now! We're in a room full of important people! Wait until we get to our room here," she hissed.

Touchy, he thought. Maybe shoes were the source of Cagalli's able-to-kick-his ass powers? She would certainly need a shoe to actually "kick his ass," but other than that, he made no connection with women and their shoes. However, what she said reminded him that they were to share a room together here tonight, him being her bodyguard. He couldn't help concealing a grin on his face—in truth, he was thrilled.

In the middle of his thoughts, Athrun was shaken by Cagalli on the shoulder. He looked at her and saw her pointing at another table considerably distant from them.

"Look Athrun!"

His eyes widened. There, although they were far away from them, he could tell, sat a brunette with a bubble-gum pink haired girl—it was Kira Yamato, his best friend, with Lacus Clyne, the singing sensation of the Plant's.

Duh, Athrun thought blankly, surprised at his own stupidity. How could he not expect Lacus not to be here? After all, she was the daughter of the passed on chairman, Siegal Clyne, plus, she partly lead the peace movements with the Archangel in the last war -- she was an important figure to the Plant's, spreading the word of peace with her fame of a singer. Kira, though…

Apparently Kira and Lacus hadn't noticed them yet, because they were going about minding their own business at their table. Kira was trying to get Mr.Pink, Lacus's toy companion which Athrun made, to stop bouncing in the middle of the dinner table, while Lacus sat aside and laughed quietly at Kira's feeble attempts.

Athrun chuckled silently while watching Kira waving his arms around, trying to catch Haro.

"Shouldn't you go and help him?" asked Cagalli, also watching Kira with smug expression a long-lost sibling usually had for another, "after all, he is your best friend."

"No, but I will go say hi to him," replied Athrun with a smile, happy about seeing his friend after all this time, getting up and turning around to offer Cagalli his hand. "Come with me."

"Fine, but I'm blaming you if he makes fun of my dress," said Cagalli, not liking the idea that more people she knew were going to see her in a dress.

Together, though not holding hands because Cagalli had plain out refused to be seen holding his hand, they made their way across the room to where Kira was stilltrying to stop Haro's rampage on the dinner table (Kira you suck! You're supposed to be the "ultimate" Coordinator!).

"Need some help Kira?" asked Athrun in a friendly voice from behind.

"Huh?" said Kira as he turned around to face the blue-haired Coordinator, but at that moment, Haro jumped onto Kira's head with a "thunk!" and landed into Athrun's hand.

"Oh hi Athrun, you too Cagalli!" acknowledged Lacus, but then she giggled. "I think Mr. Pink likes you better than Kira, Athrun."

"Uh…yea…" said Athrun, unsure of what to do with a pink Haro in his hand, flapping its ears, moving back and forth, as if laughing at Kira.

Kira glanced down at the Haro with unkempt eyes, but then focused his attention onto the newcomers.

"Hey Athrun, what are you doing here? I know why Cagalli's here but –" trailed off Kira as he focused his eyes onto Cagalli. He didn't say anything, but just stared.

"What?" spat Cagalli, and then stared at Athrun as if it was his entire fault.

"Nothing!" finished Kira quickly, not wanting to get his best friend and himself in a heap of trouble at a place like this. He smiled. "You just look nice tonight."

"Oh? And I don't usually 'look nice?'" retaliated Cagalli, furrowing her eyebrows skeptically at her brother.

"NO—no! You always look pretty!—heh…" Kira didn't know what to do, so like always when he was unsure about something, he smiled sheepishly back to whomever he was talking to. Athrun saw this stupid response from Kira and thought that it was typical; Kira was always a little klutzy. Even at the Lunar Prep School where they met, the teachers always thought Kira a little peculiar…

"What Kira means," swooped in Lacus, coming to Kira's rescue, "is that, you look beautiful tonight. The gown is most becoming on you Cagalli!"

"Thanks," said Cagalli, pouting a little by the edge of her lips, embarrassed though.

"So what are you doing here Athrun?" asked Kira, not wanting to start up the whole "Holy shit! Cagalli's wearing a _dress_!" thing.

"I'm assigned by the council of Orb to be Cagalli's bodyguard on this trip," said Athrun with a hint of pride a person guarding a precious jewel would have. "They think it's probable that someone's going to try and carry out an assassination here."

"Well, let's hope that doesn't happen," said Lacus.

"So what are you doing here Kira?" though he thought he knew the answer already.

Kira blushed now and looked away while Athrun grinned widely at him. "I'm here accompanying Lacus…"

"So is 'accompanying' your fancy word for _dating_?" teased Cagalli, barely stifling a cough.

"Er…" was all Kira could muster up as his face turned bright red, strangely resembling an apple.

"It's okay Kira," comforted Athrun, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We understand."

"Thanks Athrun," said Kira, glad that someone was supporting him. "Are you guys staying here tonight?"

"Yeah, we got a room here," said Cagalli.

"Great! We should hook up tomorrow after breakfast!" suggested Kira excitedly.

"We'll see," said Lacus brightly. "I doubt either me or Cagalli will have time though."

"C'mon Lacus. I'm sure you'll find some time out of your busy schedule," said Kira in a voice neither Athrun nor Cagalli had ever heard out of him before. It seemed it was only a voice reserved for Lacus, and he used it tenderly to a great extent. Lacus looked back at him warmly with a smile.

Athrun and Cagalli felt really out of place in front of their two friends who were obviously deep in love. Athrun saw his best friend in love and was happy for him truly, but couldn't help feeling a little down himself.

Seeing the couple in front of him reminded him of all the things that he and Cagalli weren't. If he had contacted Cagalli sooner after the war – if he gotten together with her for that matter – they would be where Kira and Lacus were in their relationship, maybe even further. He couldn't help thinking about how much time he wasted of his youth without doing the things he wanted to do –without spending time with Cagalli. All the things they could've done together…he could've brought her to the Plant's to show her his hometown, actually go on a real official date without worrying about getting attacked, share a meal with her…If only they had gotten together sooner, they might've even married…

It was so disappointing to him that all these things were going to have to come as time goes on, but these things couldn't be rushed, so he relented on that thought.

He peered over to Cagalli's face and saw that she felt the same way as him of viewing her brother and friend like this, so he took the first step.

"We're going to get back to our table, 'kay Kira?" asked Athrun as friendly as possible, not wanting to seem rude, but at the same time, desperate for a way out of the situation.

"Sure, see ya later," smiled Kira.

"Bye Cagalli," bid Lacus cheerfully.

Cagalli waved before Athrun grabbed her hand. She wondered for a second why Athrun was suddenly being a little forceful as he led her back to their table silently. She noticed his sigh as they sat down.

Cagalli opened her mouth, seeing the look on his face, about to ask him what was wrong, when two people came and sat down at the same table as them.

"Good evening Cagalli," greeted a heartedly voice that just came.

Cagalli looked up and saw Yuuna Roma Seylan, one of the representatives of Orb that she hardly saw because of the constant traveling she was made to do. She didn't complain about not seeing him though; she didn't like him, but he always tried to get close to her. As she thought this, Athrun eyed Yuuna just as Yuuna eyed him back. He couldn't understand it, but Yuuna was eyeing him with a great amount of dislike, resembling the infamous hatred of war.

Please R&R! and those people who hav evil comments, do us all a favor and shut up(in the nice way)


	4. Author Notes

Dear Peoples... who are, hopefully, my readers…(if not, get the hell outta here)

School starts, and so I have only few times to update. Sorryz...On another note, this story is going to end soon. Originally, it was only supposed to be 6 chapters long, but I think I'll make it shorter due to the lack of readers now and then. After this is done, I'll write another one—another Athrun x Cagalli pairing one (YAY!)…

Basically, the main storyline is about Cagalli killing Mir, which I hope haters of Mir Campbell will like…(stabs Mir doll's head off chuckle)…

Thanks for all the nice review…hope to see you more and more on off to pancake house in glee


	5. Tension In Between

Thank you all for the nice reviews. They encouraged me to write more (not really, my friend kept buggin me…). If you guys hav any suggestions, put 'em all in the review…I remember one of you wanted me to "torture" Athrun and Cagalli a bit or something? (voodoo doll? But persnalli, I think that's not a bad idea, relationship-wise, of course, not literally…) but otherwise, whatever (runs off to pancake house).

cough, bit o'a "**mature**" content in this one hehheh--

* * *

Athrun was continued perplexed by the stare he received from Yuuna. It was an intense stare and he didn't like it; who would? Even though the ball room was warm and noisy, the silence between them was most unbearable, with the tension mounting to the peak. The stare would've continued if Cagalli hadn't stopped them.

"Yuuna! What are you doing here?" asked Cagalli, as cheerful as she can, trying to break up the tension, only to notice that she knew the answer to the question she was asking and soon regretted it. It felt like she fainted inside as soon as she noticed her mistake.

"Cagalli, I'm also a representative of Orb, remember?" said Yuuna with an amused smile on his face.

Athrun stared at Yuuna again, not liking him more and more every second. Who was he to smile at Cagalli? Are they that close? So close that he can find Cagalli's mistake funny? Was he_ that_ familiar with Cagalli?

"Yes, how could I forget?" said Cagalli with a giggle that wasn't like her at all.

_She's acting differently around Yuuna, why the giggle?_ He frowned.

Cagalli looked sideways at Athrun and saw him with a frown. "This," she turned towards Athrun to introduce him, "is Alex. He's here with me as my bodyguard."

Athrun looked at Cagalli in surprise. Sure he _was_ her bodyguard, but wasn't he also accompanying her here today? Couldn't she say that he was her boyfriend?

"Nice to meet you Alex," Yuuna said with a smart smirk that ticked Athrun off even more than before. "I hope you do a good job protecting princess Cagalli," he said as he rubbed one of Cagalli's arms up and down in a caring manner, "we don't want our leader to get harmed do we?"

"Of course, _sir_" replied Athrun, emphasizing the "sir" and trying as hard as he could to not punch him. He looked at Cagalli and saw that she was uncomfortable and uneasy as Yuuna touched her.

Athrun was having a self control problem then. He wanted to punch the man before him so much for his annoying expressions and for touching Cagalli. If he did, however, he would be arrested for attempted murder of an Orb representative. It wasn't the smartest course of action, he admitted, but currently, it seemed like the most rightful and justified thing to do. He would've done so if it wasn't for Cagalli; if he punched Yuuna, it would make Cagalli look bad in front of all these important people.

Speaking of Cagalli, why didn't she introduce him as her boyfriend? Her company here tonight? She hated coming here and she probably wouldn't have even agreed to come if it wasn't for him. So then, why didn't she want people knowing that they were together? It made him angry to think of the possibility she was ashamed of dating him might exist. Was it because he was a Coordinator?

Athrun clenched his fist beneath the tablecloth. Why couldn't she openly say that they were together?

"Sir, miss, champagne?" asked a young waiter, holding a bottle of sparkling grape wine. He thought it weird that she didn't ask him if he wanted any, but then Athrun realized that most people probably thought that Cagalli and Yuuna were here together, and that he was just a tag-along.

"Yes miss, here," said Yuuna, holding out his wine glass.

"Want some?" asked Cagalli, smiling at Athrun.

He smiled back at her acknowledgement of his existence, barely managing the smile because he was a little angry…

_He's smiling…_thought Cagalli as she turned her head away. "I'll take that as a yes."

_Man, when he smiles it's so charming…no wonder all those girls in the Zaft army go for him…I'll have to compete against all of them._ She took the smoke green bottle from Yuuna and poured wine for Athrun and herself. As she set the bottle down onto the table, she found Yuuna raising his glass for a toast.

"For us, Cagalli," said Yuuna with a smile, waiting for her to greet his toast.

This struck Cagalli dumb. "What?" she blurted out, completely confused on what he just said, but quickly rectified her mistake with a stupid grin, "pardon me, but I don't understand you."

"Naturally, we are going to be wed? The council will be in favour of it I expect."

Athrun turned his head in alarm towards Cagalli. What was he talking about, a marriage? It was impossible! If there was one, wouldn't she have told him already? Unless…she _was_ already engaged, and was just dating him for fun! _That's why she doesn't tell people that I'm with her!_

"Caga—"

"I haven't agreed to anything," said Cagalli sternly.

"But I thought—"

"I don't know what you thought, but I don't plan on going through with what you and your father wants."

_Why? Cagalli isn't serious about me!_

"Be reasonable, this is for Orb," Yuuna extended his right hand towards Cagalli.

"Me marrying you isn't going to do anything greater for Orb," said Cagalli, straying away from his hand.

"There is no reason as to why you shouldn't marry me!"

"Yes there is!"

Athrun looked hopefully at Cagalli now. Was she going to say that she already liked someone else? Was she going to declare openly that they were together?

Yuuna frowned and narrowed his eyes onto Athrun's with a glare. "What, is it him?"

"—what?" stuttered Cagalli, completely thrown off course by the question.

"So Alex, you're protecting Cagalli tonight…I see…so you're with Cagalli?" interrogated Yuuna, looking down at Athrun with that snobby expression. "I don't know who you're kidding Cagalli, but you deserve someone better."

Athrun snapped inside. _What do you mean I'm not good enough for her? I'm better than you shit!_ H stood up to land a punch on Yuuna, but Cagalli pressed her hand hard onto his lap, gesturing for him to stop. Athrun glared at Cagalli but found her glare with amber eyes more frightening then his –the price to pay was greater if he punched one of the representatives of Orb.

He flumped down onto his seat, still glaring at Yuuna, but wondering at the same time why Cagalli stopped him; he insulted both him _and_ her! He was ready to defend her honour too! _Okay…that sounded a little fairytale-ish…_

Image in Athrun's head:

_He was a knight in polished silver armor, riding towards a huge Yuuna, who was clutching the beautiful princess Cagalli in his hands, breathing fire as he walks and tramples innocent villages. Athrun rode down a grassy green hill with tall corn stalks, towards his princess. He looked up and saw Cagalli screaming……she was the maiden in distress…_

_While he was speeding towards them, giant Yuuna was stepping on villagers…Oh! There goes little Dearka and Yzak…those bastards who made him come here…_

_"Athrun! Save me!"_

Athrun shook his head; he shouldn't have weird fantasies…especially the ones where his enemies could breathe fire.

_Cagalli…_

Why didn't she let him defend her? Unless she really _was_ ashamed of him, she would've let him punch Yuuna in the face, or maybe punched him herself. Athrun felt uneasy in the pit of his stomach—he felt uncertainness within himself as if something precious to him was slipping out of his hand gradually.

"Yuuna! I don't want to marry you, that's final! So don't go picking a fight with any guy you just happen to see right beside me," Cagalli snapped at Yuuna.

"Hmph!" retaliated Yuuna, slamming his glass down as he spoke bitterly, "I know there's something between you and Alex here." He turned his gaze and was glaring at Athrun again.

"Look, you want to know what's between us?" yelled Cagalli now, her anger getting the better of her, not realizing that everybody in the room was now listening into their little argument. At the sound of this sentence, Athrun looked up hopefully again; was she going to declare?

"We're friends! We met during the war! Okay!" She exclaimed this angrily, mixed with unknown passion flying out of nowhere. Cagalli couldn't believe she had to explain to Yuuna here and now, in the middle of a dinner party, where everyone was dressed with the most expensive of clothing. She hated the fact that he kept asking her why she wouldn't marry him because she could think of hundreds – the most important reason being that she likes Athrun. As much as she would like to shout that she loved Athrun, it wasn't wise to do for the media – newspapers, T.V, internet, etc – would go frantic and nuts at the sound of confession from the princess of Orb.

Most of all though, Cagalli felt bad for Athrun because he had to deal with all of this in silence whereas she could just yell at Yuuna openly with her feelings.

Athrun sat there fuming. He came all this way from the Plant's so he could get together with the girl he most liked, and here she was, not wanting to tell people openly that they were together even when the relationship between them was questioned. He understood what trouble awaited her with the media if she did, but wasn't love worth more? Suppressing his anger of Cagalli, Athrun sat there saying nothing, afraid that what he said was going to set everything off into an explosion.

Yuuna gave up for the day and went to another table with his assistant following him nervously. Cagalli sat down and chewed her dinner unhappily, not noticing at all that her accompaniment was feeling angry – or more so—than her.

As the evening went on, Athrun kept thinking about it more and more without letting things out, and got angrier, and so he kept a poker face all straight through dinner. He barely noticed anything else while upon the issue in his head, so he received a tap on the shoulder when everything was over for the day.

"Athrun?" asked Cagalli, breaking Athrun from his daze. "It's time to go to our room."

He said nothing and followed Cagalli silently, emitting a cold feeling from his presence. They went up the stairs and entered a hallway as grand as the room downstairs, with several door leading away from it.

Everything wasn't too clear for him from then on; he was too hung up about the evening. All he did now was follow Cagalli through the hallways and into a room.

The room was just as elegant as the ballroom below it, maybe even more so. It felt warm and didn't have that weird feeling that all other hotel room had when you entered it just because it wasn't your own room. There was only one bed in the room; that meant that they would have to share the bed.

Cagalli walked to the bed and fell onto its welcoming mattress into a slump. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply; it was a long day for her.

"Athrun…" she said softly, her eyelids still closed. "I'm so tired…yawn…"

He watched her on the bed, her chest rising up and down from the slow breathing. Her face showed small traces of exhaustion underneath her eyes but she was still as beautiful as ever in his eyes.

However, he said nothing. He was too angry with her tonight.

"Hm….this feels so soft….why aren't you talking Athrun?" she said without the slightest movement.

'_Cause I'm angry……you bitch who's ashamed of me…_

"…Come to think of it, you haven't talked much today…" said Cagalli, gradually sitting up.

_I haven't talked much because you wouldn't let me punch that bastard tonight! You guy are the same! You guys don't' want us to be together!_

Fiery rage rose up within him unrepentantly and uncontrollable at the same time, for her last sentence had set him off. His mind shut off and his instincts took place. Whether it was passion or anger he wasn't sure, but they led the way for him.

He walked to the door and locked it not saying anything; he decided that he was going to do what he had always wanted to do; he didn't care anymore; nothing mattered anymore—nothing.

"Athrun?" asked Cagalli, not liking his quick silent pace towards her, nor his eyes that was staring hard at hers. To be truthful, she was a little scared; she couldn't sense the kind Athrun being there anymore. A cold air surrounded him as he approached her in an intent mood.

Passion flew at once. He grabbed her wrists with both his hands and pushed her onto the bed, kissing her deeply with his lips, driving in mercifully with his tongue.

Cagalli's eyes flew open and her mind snapped into clear. She tried to speak –or even get a word out—but his lips were firm on her's and weren't showing any signs of allowing her to talk. She felt the warmth of his body on her, and the weight was more than her's so she couldn't push him off, or even move for that matter, so she struggled as his lips kept pushing onto hers; she felt weak next to him.

"—Athrun----stop it---" she managed to get out in between.

She kept protesting with her body, moving her legs trying to break free of his grasp on her wrists. Cagalli probably wouldn't have minded this so much if they were somewhere else at another time, but they were in a get together of nations and if they were discovered like this by someone, it would the end of her political career. She would let all of Orb down and worse of all, her father, so she kept struggling, with all her might.

Athrun felt her little figure protesting under him, and broke away from the kiss and looked at her with a silent angry expression.

She looked straight into his eyes and was scared.

"Athrun, stop it! I don't—" she gasped. He paid her no attention to her pleas and started on her neck and throat, leaving her stunned. Cagalli felt herself almost losing control; she was getting hot from this and would trade anything to get out of the situation. Beads of sweat ran down her forehead and thighs. Sure, she would like to sleep with Athrun some day, maybe even get married, but this was just too soon, and there was something about him that just wasn't right.

Why was he suddenly doing this? It was obviously he was angry, and this fact scared her even more; she had no idea what Athrun would do with her.

"—Athrun—" she pleaded, still trying to break free. Her neck was hurting and he was slowly working down her throat to her collarbone.

Nothing she did would stop him though. Athrun continued, with every plea setting him off even more. He would make her pay; he would make her suffer. He then let go of her small hands and slid his arms behind her to where the long zipper that held up her dress was. Cagalli felt his hands—

"Stop!" she cried out loud. She wasn't wearing a bra that night and immediately grabbed the front of the dress with her freed hands.

He grunted roughly as a response but did nothing to stop. Athrun tore her hands away from her without hesitation and started licking her collarbone.

_One pull and my dress is gone!_

Cagalli felt a hole at the pit of her stomach. She didn't know what to do, and yes, her dress was about to come off. It was a hopeless situation for her; she just wasn't getting through to him. There was no mercy in the realms of his eyes. She wanted to have sex with him, but not like this. The Athrun on top of her didn't care about her at all.

She gasped again. His tongue was in the ridge between her breasts. A shiver went through her and water overflowed from her eyes.

A drop, then two came out.

Athrun noticed that she stopped moving and looked up to see Cagalli crying softly with her eyes closed. She was wincing from his every assault on her, blushing at the same time.

What struck his mind the most was her few drops of tears though.

What was he doing? Why did he force Cagalli to sle—he was too disgusted with himself to even think about that. Athrun realized what he was doing. He couldn't believe that he just—_what was he doing!_

He got up over her and looked down. Before him was a girl, her eyes closed, red and full of tears. Her dress was barely concealing her, and she had her arms over her to protect herself from what was in front of her.

_…from me…_

Athrun moved away from her, fearing the truth of what he just did. He pulled himself up to a sitting position on his knees on the bed and extended his arms towards her.

"Cagalli, I—" he said gingerly, placing his hands on her shoulder to help her up, but she recoiled and backed away from him. She sat up at the head of the bed and stared at Athrun with fear, pulling her dress over her breasts and crying.

_Stop crying Cagalli! Stop being so weak!_

He was hurt by what he saw before him, knowing that he was the one that caused her pain and fear. She looked so hurt that he couldn't bear to look at her any second longer. Athrun felt that this was the lowest moment of his life. He was a despicable and disgusting fool, having no honour as to try to force a girl into sleeping with him.

He knew that if he tried to console her, she would just back away, and he couldn't blame her—one of her closest people in her life tried to hurt her.

Athrun took one last look at her and turned around to pick up his jacket. Cagalli watched him from behind her wet eyes, as he steadily paced in the room at a calm speed.

She watched his back as he walked out of the room, closed the door, and out of her life.

* * *

Kk, I know the ch.'s kinda short, but WATEVER! I HAV SKooL! (mumble…freakin ' 9 subjects…))

And as always, please rate&review thxthx


	6. Cappuccinos and Moments

She approached the young tanned man with a stutter in her voice. She carried a tea tray and straightened her back 'til she could no more; she was going to go ask the handsome gentleman if he wanted to order. All her friends working there had pushed her to go ahead, since she hadn't dated in such a long time, but did she really have a chance with him? She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully upon his fine chin. He kept looking at his watch as if to meet someone…and sitting at this coffee shop alone in a table-for-two by the window wasn't a good sign for her.

"Would you like to order?" she asked as sweet as she could, but not cute, because desperate as she was for a boyfriend, she wasn't going to let go of her standards.

The blond guy looked up. "Uh…" he looked around, "…no, thank you. I'm waiting for someone," he replied with a grin.

She let out a small gasp. _He's so hot dammit!_

The waitress felt rejected, but not sad. In fact, his reply just made her wonder who he was waiting for more! She smiled back and walked steadily back to behind the counter where her friends were, about to tell them of a mutual rejection.

_No doubt they're going to be talking about me. Heh, well, can't blame them. I did give that cute waitress a nice grin, _mused Dearka as he stared at the young waitress's ass as she walked back behind the counter.

If it was years ago, before the war, he would've gladly dated the waitress, no question. Now though, he felt different about girls—could it be respect?-- and stopped flirting with them every time a pretty one comes by. Dearka wasn't sure why he stopped liking all girls in general though; did he become picky? How does one become choosy on this kinda subject?

He looked at his watch. She was late. Where could she be doing that would prevent her from meeting him on time! Isn't he important to her? Getting lost is no excuse. Hell, this was Orb, so she should know her way around here!

Dearka looked out the window, hoping for any sign that might signify her presence, but instead, he found a familiar blue-haired comrade walking in a slumping fashion in a mass of crowd.

"Athrun!" he cried out loud without knowing. What was _he_ doing here? And why was he not with Cagalli! After that fool-proof plan!

He banged on the shop window, and saw Athrun look his way with an equal surprising expression.

"Come---here," mouthed Dearka, trying to get his message across, signaling with his hands for Athrun to come into the coffee shop.

"ARgh…" he grunted, noticing that people in the shop were staring at him, "come—HERE—"

At last, Athrun entered the shop. He looked around and parked himself across from Dearka.

"Dearka! Why da hell are you doing here!" asked Athrun immediately.

_Same thing I was going to ask you, dumbass! I chose another city in Orb so I wouldn't have to run into anybody I know!_

"I'm meeting someone here," Dearka stated simply, upon deciding that he wasn't going to let Athrun know that he wasn't going to let him know who he was meeting. "But, seeing as you are 'Cagalli-_less_'," he said skillfully, changing the subject, narrowing his eyes, "I assume that you blew it?"

Across the table, Athrun's eyes looked down and saddened quickly. Shame filled his whole sight and complexion.

_…Crap! He looks sad! That means he REALLY blew it!_

"Hey! You look down!" _no use in denying it_, "What happened!"

At this moment, Dearka knew to wait. This was his feelings they were discussing here; there was no use rushing it: it'll come out when it wants to. If it was him in his blue-friend's shoe, he would never think to share his heart with anybody, even if they person in question were exceptionally close to him.

…_Athrun…_ Dearka thought as he folded both his hands under his chin, supporting his face as questions rambled through his mind. The most important being "WHAT DA HELL DID You DO ATHRUN!"

He let that thought go. Athrun's problems were more important right now.

"Well, see…how do I say this…where to begin?"

"You might as start with what happened after you left for Orb," grumbled Dearka.

"Er…everything went according to 'plan' I guess, but…hm…"

"Come on," he whined. He felt like he was talking to a kindergartner. He couldn't push it or yell at him otherwise Athrun, being shy by nature, would just go back into his shell. "Just start telling me the story."

"Okay. I met her at the designated place you wrote, and we ate ramen together, or rather –"

"You ate ramen together? Phft, so _un-romatic_. I would never do that to the girl of my dreams."

"—she forced me to eat some cause I told her I wasn't hungry," finished Athrun with an annoyed look, quite sure that Dearka would do much, _much_ more to the girl of his dreams.

The little coffee shop was loaded with people right now, all who seemed to be the average, typical couple in love—a boy and a girl. Sunshine of fair fall strewn in from the windows in forms translucent to some human eyes. Being the young waitresses with no life they were, they noticed that the cute blond and the blue-haired distinguished person who just joined him were the only two-some not in love, or, atleast, that was what they thought.

Her friend leaned in towards her ear as they both watched the two handsome young guys in conversation, "So, do you think they're gay?"

"What!" she exclaimed quietly, as to not disturb the customers. "I—what!"

"Come on, gay or not?" her friend pursued. "You've gotta admit they do kinda look like it. Two good looking guys at a small romantic coffee shop who uses—" she picked up a white fluttery thing, "—_doilies_," she finished aggressively. "How did I come to work at this place?"

"You had no money? Remember?"

"Riiight, I remember. So anyway, gay or not?"

"Well…why do you care what I think? Personally, I never thought they were gay, more like two long lost friends, you know?"

"Yeeess" her friend answered skeptically. "I'll take that as a 'not gay'. I'll put you in the bet 'k? We could sure all use some money."

"What bet?" she asked suddenly, turning to look at her friend's huge giddy smile.

"We've all got a pool going around back, saying if they're gay or not. It's fifty dollars on not gay and eighty dollars on definitely gay."

"What! When did this --"

"Yes! If you wanna join the pool, do it now," her friend said as she walked briskly into the back with a parting wave.

She sighed. She had no idea what her friend was thinking half the time, let alone all the other waitresses working there. It was true though: everybody there was almost broke, if not, exceptionally poor.

Her eyes landed on the hot two guys again. Having no work to do until someone ordered, she watched their lips move, trying to decipher what they were saying.

"—so I went to that gathering of nations with her, and I saw Kira and Lacus there."  
"Kira? Lacus?"

"Yea', 'cause of Lacus's important position on the Plant's?"

"Oh right."

"And then we met Yuuna Roma Seiyran, one of the representatives for Orb, and er…we kinda argued…"

"(cough) Argued?" asked Dearka, raising his eyebrows, 100 in doubt that wasn't what happened.

"We yelled…and I almost punched him."

"Why?"

"Because he wanted to marry Cagalli and kept insulting me. He's lucky I didn't land a punch on his fat ugly face," spat Athrun.

Dearka grinned. It was nice to see his friend fight for love the old-fashioned way: punches and kicks….hm…he didn't know about Yzak though…That guy is just so serious and angry all the time. How will he get his white-haired friend to confess his love for that brunette and make a fool of himself?

Of course, he doesn't really know if Yzak likes Shiho. These were just ramblings and going on's of Dearka Elsman's mind.

"Uh huh, and? Keep going in your story."

"Well, I was angry."

"Obviously," snorted Dearka.

"And Cagalli's attitude towards the whole situation didn't help either. I don't remember, but I was angry at her or something. So when we went to her room…"

Dearka's eyes opened wide. Was it what he thought it was? Did Athrun really sleep with Cagalli? Was his assumption correct? If it was, well!

"YOU SLEPT WITH HER!" cried Dearka out loud, letting all his surprised emotions go, making everyone in the parlor look their way. "How could you!"

Meanwhile, the waitress of the chapter frowned; she had betted on the wrong side, that guy _is_ gay. How could she let that good looking hair and chin complexion fool her? She ran through the door to the back quickly to change her bet on the matter.

"Quiet!" shushed Athrun hastingly, completely and totally aware of the stares they were receiving from his back.

"But—you—slept---with the—princess! –of ORB!" whispered Dearka harshly, barely making an attempt to keep his voice down.

"Shut up, I didn't sleep with her!" he muttered quickly.

"Oh yea? The what _did_ you do Athrun? Play peek-a-boo? Tickle her?" continued Dearka in a humorous, yet accusing manner and a big sly grin, "snuggled on the bed? _Strip her?_ Had _sex_ with her? With the princess of Orb? Lick pudding of her—" he suddenly stopped, because Athrun had just kicked him hard under the table.

"Shut up! God, why am I even telling you this?" he sighed, exasperated, though half disgusted at the idea and half excited and venturous of the idea of licking food off of Cagalli…

"Because I'm your friend and I spent a ton just to buy your ticket here."

Athrun eyed him. "Phft, but you're rich?"

"Don't change the subject, so what _did_ happen?"

"I didn't sleep with her, and I certainly didn't lick jello off her."

"Pudding," corrected Dearka, "the food of lovers."

"Where did you get _that_ from? You're sick, like why would lick stuff off your girlfriend? Maybe that's why girls don't like getting close to you."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm romantic and charming, unlike you, who treats your girl to ramen and is a total klutz. I sometimes watch those soap operas to study what girls like. Well, atleast you're better than poor Yzak, who can't even express his own feelings in the right way. Last time he saw that brown haired pony tail girl wearing a bikini at the get together at the beach, well," trailed off Dearka with a laugh, "it looked like he was trying to choke himself by not breathing hahaaa!"

Dearka looked up and didn't see Athrun laughing. Usually something funny like this –especially about Yzak, would have his friend laughing along with him in tears, but he didn't.

"I can see that you don't want to tell me about what happened between you guys," he said seriously.

"Nono, it's just that it's kind of awkward talking about this kind of thing."

"C'mon, what's awkward about this? We're mature young men at the age where women interest them the most," he put it scientifically, "so naturally, sex is everything and only thing that comes out of our mouth."

"Hahaha, okay. Hmm. Okay, I sort of…forced her….yeah…" he said with shame on his face.

Dearka's face fell dramatically. He didn't really expect that one from Athrun—the goody two shoes Athrun, the Athrun that opened doors for girls and polished his shoes and got along with Nicol, and…

_Dammit! You're supposed to be the gentle and shy one!_

"Heh…I must be the worst guy in the world," smiled Athrun weakly, trying to suppress what he was really feeling inside.

"Athrun…"

Dearka was stumped, and for the second time in his life, he honestly didn't know what to do. He looked at Athrun's face sincerely.

Under normal circumstances, he would just tell him to get back on his ass and show up and Cagalli's doorstep with a huge bouquet of red roses, but the matter was serious and difficult to comprehend—even for him—so the typical "box of chocolates" idea wasn't going to work here.

_But…_

If he went on and told Athrun to give up because he screwed up big and there was no possible way to repair the damage, he would have to live the rest of his life seeing that sad and shameful face on him. It was unbearable to Dearka; he just wanted to rip his hair out. He couldn't stand the fact that he had helped ruin a happy, slow moving relationship between a perfect, destined-to-be couple.

However, wouldn't it seem a little insensitive and blunt to just tell Athrun to say apologize?

"Hm. Okay. This is what you're going to do," announced Dearka.

Athrun looked up, surprised, but also hoping for a way to get rid of this disastrous mess once and for all.

"Huh?"

"Swallow whatever guilt you're feeling, and," Dearka edged nearer to Athrun's face until their noses were only an inch apart from touching, "get—your—ass—over—there."

"But—"

"BUP BUP--!" Interrupted Dearka, motioning his finger, shushing Athrun; he wasn't going to let him cut him off at his heroic speech dammit!

"Forget fear and guilt and march your ass over to her place and A.P.O.L.O.G.I.Z.E! _One magic word is all it takes!_ She DID kiss you before, and fall asleep right beside you before, which means that she DOES love you! Girls don't tend to forget about their crush until, jee, _I don't know_—FIND SOMEONE ELSE THEY LIKE! So get on your feet and say sorry, or so help me god, I'LL DRAG YOU THERE MYSELF!"

Athrun was white in the face and his eyes widened with shock. It seems like he _will_ have to "march your ass over to her place and apologize."

Dearka sat down, again, unaware of the pairs of staring eyes, and readjusted up his collar professionally.

"By the way," he added, "if you don't go Cagalli, I think Yzak will go for_ you_. Now isn't _that_ a scary thought?"

"OKAY—okay!" cried Athrun. He was desperate for Dearka to shut up; the waitresses were tapping their feet angrily and ready to throw them out.

"I'm going now," said Athrun, getting out of his seat and pushing his chair away carefully, as to not anger the customers and waitresses anymore. He sure didn't want to be here next to Dearka when he did something drastic.

"That's my man! Now go!" he said as he patted Athrun on the back, then watching his blue-haired run out of the Café.

Athrun ran and ran. Although Dearka had overreacted a bit in that café, he had the right idea. He was right; he needed to make amends with Cagalli now, and he wouldn't stop until she trusted him again.

She was an important part of him, and hopefully, he, her's.

Thinking and running by plans and thoughts on how to win Cagalli back, he didn't notice where he was going and bumped the shoulder of an orange-headed girl.

"Ow—watch where you're go—" she said as she looked up: the tall blue haired person gone behind her, running at a fast speed. "—ing…"

_Was that person…?_

Athrun looked back over his shoulder. The young girl he had just bumped accidentally while deep in thought strangely resembled that short haired, blue-eyed girl he saw aboard the Archangel…the one that worked on the upper deck beside Murrue Ramius.

He hadn't seen anybody from the other side since the war was over, so seeing one suddenly was no ordinary thing for him; it just didn't happen every day.

What would she be doing here? He thought.

He continued speeding on down the street, regardless of the obvious piece of information there on his friend Dearka. Behind him, the orange girl walked into the little café, welcomed by a waitress warmly with tea.

She walked over briskly to his table, picking and landing each step with grace. She hasn't seen him in so long, and wanted to get close to him, to be in his presence. Even though they met during t he war, and he was from the opposite side, she still wanted to be near him. Just talking to him today would be enough. Agitation squeezed her heart as she saw his face—the familiar tanned face that she had grown so accustomed to during the war.

Now though, she pushed these feelings aside for just a moment. The encounter a minute ago was still fresh in her mind.

"Was that---" she asked, panting, barely able to get all her words out, placing her hands on her knees to support herself.

"Yeah…it was Athrun," Dearka replied with a pair of content eyes at her, trying to calm him self, because she was finally in front of him, just like the way he pictured it for months now.

Those months with Athrun, when they'd go out to clubs just so Athrun could get a girl, where he spent in waves of lightened sorrow. It was unbearable at the time; all the girls he met couldn't compare with her—they were all nothing against _her_—regardless of how they were actually were in the eyes of others instead of him. If he hadn't met her yet, he would've gladly rubbed his hands with glee and settle with one, but their meeting changed his whole view on the opposite sex entirely.

_They're trash compared to her! ….well, no…but….!_

She showed him to respect them--females, and that there were also good-looking and nice girls out there—not just the slutty ones. She was the perfect example of what he wanted, and so, he would do anything, just for her to be in his arms.

"Hello Dearka," she said with a smile, with a shine in her magnificent eyes, matching her orange hair like it was born-to-be.

Her eyes showed the essence of wanting to be there, wanting to be there, in front of him, and not anywhere else in the world.

Maybe it was just the atmosphere, them being at a coffee shop for couples, on a warm morning. It did him good in the heart though, just to see that.

"Hi, Miriallia," was all he say at that moment.

Rate & Review as always, thanks everyone! The reviews were all (turns around to hide 'something' my eyes), "nice" is the only word I can think of right now, to describe all you readers' support, thank you!


	7. Between Each Other

Update finally! Sorryz, but life's been a bit confusing, but not hard, these past few months for me. I think the slump's over now, and update should happen everyfew days now. --Kayuki-san

* * *

He skipped up the royal staircase happily in glee, carefully balancing a metallic breakfast tray ladened with buttered toast and orange juice in his left hand, and holding the banister in his right. Quickly, he rolled along the second floor once he had reached the landing, and trapeized to her room. Today was finally going to be his day, and unlike his many poorly executed failures in the past, the attempt today was sure to win her heart. And with no particular bodyguard which he detested whole-heartedly, he smiled. Goddess of Love was sure to be on his side.

He rapped the mahogany door sharply. Inside the dark room with no light, the covers stirred slightly.

Or rather, what was under the covers stirred slightly.

She groaned. Was it Yuuna again? She had dismissed him every morning he brought breakfast to her in the past few days, hoping he would get the message that she didn't want any breakfast from him.

She didn't want breakfast want anyone, nor did she want anything from anyone. What happened to her between Athrun and her was still fresh in her mind. Along each passing day, she hasn't done anything except stay in her room in a mansion in Orb, and eat the little meals she could slipped through the crack from under the door, because she refused to eat at all at first. The maids were all distressed when she announced on the other side of the door that she wouldn't be opening them for a long time.

Cagalli, was just emotionally distressed, and confused.

Desperately confused.

"Cagalli? I've brought your breakfast," sang Yuuna cheerfully.

She sat up on her bed and ruffled her hair but didn't respond. Looking around the dark, dim-litted room full of dust smell, she felt even more depressed. What had made Athrun behave that way?

Dust drifted around her, along with the smell of mothballs. The room was intolerably messy, with clothes and bed hangings scattered throughout the room in disarray. Chairs were toppled and she, disorganized, except that she took a shower every 24 hours in the bathroom connected to the huge bedroom.

Nothing she did made her feel better, despite how rash and violent they were. It was a never ending cycle in her mind: get up, and get angry.

But why did he do that? She just didn't understand it. What did she do? He made it sound like she had hurt him someway that night.

"Cagalli?" said a impatient voice from behind the door.

She stood up grudgingly and leaned towards the long since opened curtains slightly.

The morning shine called out to her. Beyond the white clouds silhouetted against the cheerful blue skies, geese away from the modern world flew.

She parted a small brim in the middle of layers of velvet burgundy so greet a beam of sun. Outside, she saw a young man with white long hair enter a red convertible.

Her face pressed against the cold glass pane unconsciously, making her cheeks grow red, her eyes squinted.

* * *

He clutched his cellphone angrily, clenching his teeth. He turned towards his convertible and slipped in, slamming the door shut.

Taking one final glance at the mansion, he stepped on the pedal with force, into the autumn morning, leaving thoughts and hatred behind.

On the road he went fast, knowing that no one was going to be where he was going. The wind whipped his bangs around to the side of his head, letting him fully appreciate the mild sunshine that day.

Things were going pretty good for him in life until this point. He supported his head with his left hand on the side of the car and kept his right on the wheel.

Yzak sighed and looked towards the ongoing sun. How Dearka could keep up the happy cheerful side in every situation was a wonder to him.

How Dearka could pick up girls so easily was more a wonder to him.

For once in his life, he meets someone he likes, without much complains on their personality. She was perfect for him, smart, pretty, and not afraid of challenges. Usually, he would blow off any girl on first dates, and even then, asking girls out weren't really his forte, but she wasn't like the rest of them. She stood out from the crowd.

Having been made commander of a ship, he was usually surrounded by girls of Zaft, some not even half his age, each one of them hoping to date and marry him, Yzak Joule. Never with them, she always stood out to him in his head.

He had wanted to talk to her since, but never gotten the chance to. However, as Dearka explained it to him, he was "the officer in command and she, his inferior" and that there was no way she was going to go up and talk to him herself. He would have to extend the hand of friendship here.

How was he supposed to do that though? Making guy friends was already hard enough for him, but _girl _friends? Surely there must be an easy solution.

He was a cooardinator, someone with superior thinking skills, but this girl had him stumped without even having talked to him before.

What an individual.

He stopped the car. The beach in front of him was covered with stony grains of golden sand, veiled by beams of sunshine. The ripples of ocean water slipped and washed against the shore gently, back and forth without disturbing the path of the sunshine.

The war had changed him, like it did everybody. He looked at thing more differently now. A mature view of the world overtook him, and the things he used to laugh at just didn't seem as funny anymore. War taught him that the most important things to treasure in life were individual voices.

Why did the coordinators and naturals ever fight?

He swung himself out of the car on the side and walked towards the edge of the shore, slowly, making a stride of imprinted foot steps across the soft field of sand.

In his pocket, a crumpled piece of paper laid crushed, but it was worn with affection and filled with emotions. She had given it to him.

Yzak went in front of the water and watched the sun at the top of the horizon serenely, letting the water brush the tip of his right shoe tenderly.

Taking off his blazer and holding it up over his head as a breeze went by, he let the wind blow his hair and closed his eyes, feeling the slight warmth that welcomed his forehead.

"I think…I like you," he muttered softly, eyes still closed as the wind answered him.

* * *

"You're a retard you know that?" said a gruff voice from behind the computer screen.

"How was I supposed to tail him? It's a big city you know!" retaliated a feminine voice, sitting on a wooden crate, with headphones on.

The warehouse was dark, cold, and stank of clams, but they couldn't afford to use light in case of being discovered. The mission was hard, and much harder than what was expected of their level of training, but her partner just had to beg the captain to assign something of this great magnitude!

He had wanted to prove their capabilities to the other teams.

She was getting fed up with him. Her skills as an agent weren't bad, and in fact, she had tied with him in the academy training days—first place. Just because she lost the target at the Orb hosted party didn't mean that she deserved to get yelled at.

Secretly, she thought the target was kind of cute.

"We might loose our jobs because of you! God, I wish you would take your job more seriously some times!"

"HUH!" she pouted. Why couldn't her partner be nicer and more likable?

She stared at him through the darkness, his figure and fingers working rapidly on the laptop to track down the target. His hair was almost jet black with fair skin. It almost surprised her at first that such a skin could belong to a guy. If only he had a better attitude, more girls would be chasing after him.

It couldn't be helped. She had overheard a conversation of the captain's about his past one rainy night. During that time, she had been rooted to the spot in the hallway, gasping, while listening to what had happened to him. She never mentioned it to him. The fact that he could get along with her everyday without shedding one single tear made her respect him, though she had long since wondered why he had pursued this profession, and at such a young age too.

She turned her head towards him and rested her eyes on his cheek, smiling a sad smile.

If only the world had been kinder to him.

* * *

"Princess! You must come out!" begged an outraged maid in a black dress and white apron, holding food. "Everyone is worried about you!"

The maid threw herself to the foot of the door dramatically, attracting the attention of nearby and passing maids, all of which had given up on getting their beloved princess Cagalli out.

They had tried everything possible, even threatening to her that they were going to burn the house down if she wasn't going to come out, but sadly, it seems that no threats or temptations of her most favorite sweets was going to lure her out of being a hermit. Measures were now taken up a notch to drastic, and so the butlers were out fetching a ramming device or some sort.

Yes, that's right, they, the servers of the Athha mansion were going to ram down the door of their mistress's mansion.

Ouch, reality hurts sometimes.

What hurt more was that they were all outsmarted by their mistress, who was bored of her surroundings and decided to do something about it.

* * *

A sudden breeze attacked her as she hung limply out her window on the third floor. As grand as the grass underneath was, taken care of respectively by the gardeners, the hell it was going to help break her fall! Cagalli groaned. She should've thought of a plan first, before going head first into her plan of escaping through the window.

Well, it had first seemed like a great idea when she was standing on the balcony. The ground hadn't looked so far away as it did now, with her dangling with the wind. She could feel the wind blowing up to her bare thighs under her night dress.

Night dress was a bit of an understatement here. It was more like a silky, lacey, revealing, and closer to lingerie than nightgown, kind of thing.

Plus, it was deep red. She groaned again. Why didn't she change before she went?

She made herself a mental note not to go through with one minute plans in the future when she was angry, depressed, and emotionally upset.

"Okay…it's just a little drop….it'll be okay!" she said in a falsely sweetened voice that was so unlike her, trying to deceive herself into thinking that she was safe.

Here she was, the pilot of a mobile suit during the war, princess of Orb, and she was afraid of the distance between her toes to the ground.

Cagalli let her fingers loose.

She dropped through the cold air, splicing the atmosphere with her toes pointing straight down. It was unlike the drops of great extremes that everyone talked about. It wasn't unusually long, but short to the point that she didn't even have any time to let out a scream, which was great for her image, for there was a person under her.

"WHOA!" came a voice from underneath.

Cagalli groaned for what she hoped was the final time that day. She felt something soft underneath her that broke her fall. It certainly didn't feel like a shrub. If so, what saved her then?

She looked down and yelled. It was a blue haired guy, whose hair colour was nothing like Athrun's, but still looked great nevertheless. He was blushing madly and gaping at her at the same time, unable to get anything out of his mouth. He couldn't figure out if what just happened was good or bad. He was aching down his back and legs, but a total babe wearing nothing but bra and panties was on him, in a seducing position.

"Uh—UH--!" He said, turning his head and closing his eyes, not wanting to see what he wasn't supposed to see.

Cagalli rolled off him and stood up quickly, attempting to run off and save her the embarrassment of letting the guy realize who she was. Her legs gave away and she tumbled down onto the grass, sprawled among the rich leafy ground.

He stood up and stared at the helpless looking girl before him. He observed once again. He sighed and decided that he might as well help her. It was obvious she was a natural, being so dumb and klutsy by nature. But then again, she was really pretty with amber golden eyes.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was sure he had seen her somewhere before.

"Hey, you need some help?" he asked quietly, not quite over what had just happened between them, leaning down and extending his right hand to her, preparing to pull her up.

"No--! Argh…" she winced; her leg hurt like hell. The least she could hope for was a sprained ankle, if not, worse.

"But you're hurt," he said, raising his eyebrow, observing her movements and could tell that her left ankle was sprained.

"I said that—" but she never got to finish her sentence. The boy came over and swung her arm around his shoulder. He lifted her up gradually from the ground, holding onto her wrists as he did so.

"Moron, if you don't go for help you'll get worse."

Cagalli had had a bad day, and she had just slipped from a three story level above the ground, but this was definitely going to be the highlight of her day. She didn't say anything, but watched his face and features.

He had light blue hair that stuck out on either side, and his skin was very light, unlike most guys she's seen. She guessed that he was around her age, if not, somewhat more mature.

He was hot. She felt herself feel hot as he supported her and walked with her towards the mansion, trailing her left foot along as they walked.

Her mind snapped into clear.

"Wait! I can't go back to that mansion!" she yelled suddenly.

"Why?" he queried questionably.

"I can't—I just can't," she said feeble mindedly, determined not to let him know that she was Cagalli Yuula Athha, otherwise the embarrassment of being outside wearing almost nothing would kill her.

"It's the nearest place that can help you!" he argued back.

"No! I can't go back there!" she cried, "I just can't!" and she began to walk the other way, breaking away from the boy. Without his support though, her broken ankle got the better of her and down she went, onto the ground for the third time that day.

Life just sucked for her that day!

"Fine!" he spluttered, afraid that she was going to do something sudden like that again, "we'll go to a hospital 'kay? Let's go to my car."

She got up with him, having earned many bruises that day.

"Thank you."

They walked across the big field of grass that surrounded the grand mansion and drove away together in a stylish silver car. On the car, Cagalli fell asleep on the leather seat and her head tilted towards him.

Rate and Review as always! Love to hear what you guys think.


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